Doubts were raised today about claims about a new gel claiming to rid women of precancerous lesions.
Papilocare, according to its makers, has the power to ‘prevent and heal’ abnormal cells that develop in the cervix.
Deviations are caused Through HPV. Over time, lesions can develop cervical cancer, although the majority pose no risk and resolve naturally.
Doctors recommend that unusual, high-risk cells found through routine screening, offered by the NHS, be removed for safety reasons.
Papilocare, a herbal medicine that costs £50 for a month’s supply, also says it can ‘clear all HPV strains after six months if used as recommended’.
Yet a leading charity is suspicious of the claims made by Barcelona-based Procare Health.
Papilocare, according to its makers, has the power to ‘prevent and heal’ abnormal cells that develop in the cervix
NHS cervical screening data shows that uptake was the highest that year (75.7 percent). It has since fallen to 68.7 percent in 2023
Bridget Little, Head of Support Services at Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, told MailOnline: ‘While it is always encouraging to see research into HPV and cervical cancer, there really isn’t enough evidence to support the various claims that any of the products on the market can successfully treat HPV.’
She noted that one in five cases of cervical cancer is linked to tobacco smoking, which is known to weaken the immune system and therefore make it harder to fight infections such as HPV.
As a result, quitting smoking can help clear HPV, she said.
The HPV vaccination reduces the risk of developing cervical cancer, although women who have had the jab should still be screened, Ms Little said.
She added: ‘We will always encourage women with HPV to continue to attend screening when invited and if they show symptoms, to seek medical advice.’
More than nine in ten cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a very common group of viruses that are spread through sex.
All women aged 25 to 64 are invited for cervical cancer screening on the NHS, which collects a sample of cells from the cervix using a smear, which is checked for HPV and the changes the virus can cause in cells.
Cancer Research UK’s advice page states: ‘An abnormal test result for cervical cancer means you have changes in the cells that cover the neck of your womb (cervix).
‘These changes are not cancer. The cells often return to normal on their own.
‘But in some women, if left untreated, these changes could develop into cancer in the future.’
On advice from the NHS, if HPV is detected alongside abnormal cell changes, or if HPV has been present for more than two years, women are referred for a colposcopy – a test to view the cervix in more detail.
If the results show the presence of high-risk abnormal cervical cells that can cause cancer, women are referred for treatment to remove the cells. This is usually done in a 15-minute procedure that uses a heated wire to remove affected tissue.
However, low-risk women are typically only monitored through regular follow-up appointments.
Doctors from hospitals across Spain claimed this ‘watchful waiting’ approach can be ‘long and challenging’ for patients, with one in 10 subsequently developing abnormal, high-risk cells.
This led them to test Papilocare, which claims to ‘repair’ abnormal changes in cells caused by HPV.
The gel contains Coriolus versicolor extract, a fungus used in Chinese medicine that manufacturers claim activates the immune system to fight the infection.
It’s also made with a prebiotic called Bioecolia, which the company claims promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria, and plant extracts, such as aloe vera.
The team recruited 91 women aged 30 to 65 from nine hospitals in Spain.
All had been diagnosed with HPV and abnormal cells in the cervix via colposcopy within the previous three months. No one had been vaccinated against HPV, which is given to 12- and 13-year-old boys and girls in Britain.
A third applied the gel every day for three weeks, followed by a week’s break, and then every other day for the next five months.
A second group repeated the three weeks on/one week off routine for three months, then used it every other day for the remaining three months.
The other women served as a control group.
All women underwent follow-up Pap smears and colposcopies three months after the start of the trial and after six months when it ended.
The findings, published in the Journal of Lower Venereal DiseasesResearch shows that 78 percent of those who used Papilocare no longer had abnormal cervical cells after three months, compared to 54.8 percent of those who did not use the gel.
Thousands of women continue to be diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, leading to 685 deaths each year in England. About half of women (51 percent) survive 10 years or more after diagnosis. Diagnoses are most common in women in their 30s
Only 67.2 percent of girls were fully vaccinated in 2021/2022, compared to a record 86.7 percent in 2013/2014. Around 62.4 per cent of boys who have received the jab from the NHS since 2019 received a jab in the most recent school year, NHS data shows
Symptoms of cervical cancer to look out for include unusual vaginal bleeding, pain during sex, and pain in the lower back or pelvis
At the end of the trial, 84.9 percent of the treatment group had no abnormal cells left, compared to only 64.5 percent of the control group.
“The results of this treatment in the repair of low-grade lesions have been shown to be significantly better than those obtained with the watchful waiting approach,” the doctors wrote.
Meanwhile, three-quarters of women (75.9 percent) in the second treatment group, who had a one-week break from using the gel for three months, no longer had HPV at the end of the study, compared with 41.9 percent among women who used the gel. control group.
However, only 39.1 percent of women in the first treatment group, who used the gel daily for five months, were free of HPV at the end of the study.
By comparison, in 29 percent of cases, the body clears an HPV infection without treatment within six months, the medics wrote.
Nine women reported side effects, including yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis (which causes unusual vaginal discharge) and rashes, as well as a stinging and burning sensation when applying the product.
Most of these side effects were mild to moderate and the researchers emphasized that the gel is safe.
Papilocare “should be included in recommendations for treating HPV” given their findings, they said.