Thermal ablation: cost-effective and safe for the treatment of cervical precancer
Evidence from 15 years of research supports a portable thermal ablator for cervical precancer treatment, especially in low-resource settings
Thermal ablation: cost-effective and safe for the treatment of cervical precancer
Published by IARC on 17 November 2025, this evidence summary (No 7) reports on fifteen years of research demonstrating that a new portable, battery-powered thermal ablator device co-developed by IARC and engineers is safe, effective and cost-efficient for treating cervical precancers.
The research, conducted in programmatic and field conditions, indicates comparable efficacy to standard treatment methods, greater ease of deployment in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and potential for scale-up.
Low-cost alternative to traditional equipment
The brief calls on policy-makers to support device adoption and integrate it into cervical-precancer programmes, particularly where infrastructure constraints exist. By providing a practical, low-cost alternative to traditional equipment, the thermal ablator contributes to the broader goal of cervical-cancer elimination by improving access to treatment, thereby supporting screening-to-treatment pathways in resource-limited contexts.
The publication emphasises IARC’s role in generating applied evidence for cancer prevention and control.
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s EU4HEALTH Programme under the Grant Agreement no 101162959