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Cervical PrecancerDELTANCT02956239

Development, Field Testing and Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Hand-held, Portable and Affordable Thermo-coagulator to Prevent Cervical Cancer in Low- and Middle-income Countries

A study testing Thermocoagulation (device), Cryotherapy (device) and LEEP (device) in people with Cervical Precancer, run by International Agency for Research on Cancer at 1 site in Zambia.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This project develops, tests and produces a lightweight, cordless, battery driven and rechargeable hand-held device for treating cervical precancer (Liger Thermal Coagulator). The study evaluates its effectiveness compared to the current standard treatment (cryocautery) when used as part of a screen and treat… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 25 to 49 years, women only
Conditions the study is for
Cervical Precancer
What is being tested?
Thermocoagulation (device), Cryotherapy (device) and LEEP (device)
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
3,124 participants
Where
1 siteZambia
Study dates
1 Aug 2017to 29 Feb 2024
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 25 to 49 years
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Positive on VIA test for cervical cancer screening
  • Eligible for ablative treatment

Who cannot join

  • Pregnancy
  • Not voluntarily willing to participate

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Zambia1 site
  • UNC Global Project Zambia

    Lusaka

Other trials in Zambia

About this study

This project develops, tests and produces a lightweight, cordless, battery driven and rechargeable hand-held device for treating cervical precancer (Liger Thermal Coagulator). The study evaluates its effectiveness compared to the current standard treatment (cryocautery) when used as part of a screen and treat programme using Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) in Sub Saharan Africa.

Read the detailed description

This project aims to improve screen and treat programmes for cervical cancers by discovering the best method of treatment. The specific aims are

  1. To develop, test and produce 20 novel lightweight hand-held cordless, portable battery driven and rechargeable Thermal Coagulators (Liger Medical, Utah).
  2. To evaluate the success / failure rate of Thermal Coagulation in a randomised controlled trial comparing thermal coagulation to the existing current standard cryocautery and to Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone (LLETZ aka LEEP) as part of a screen and treat programme in Zambia.
  3. To evaluate the user satisfaction scores of the Liger Thermal Coagulator cryocautery as part of a screen and treat programme in Zambia.
  4. To determine the rate of over treatment of VIA positive women as revealed by histopathological examination of the randomly assigned excised treatment cases.
  5. To determine the value of Z scan to predict normality and abnormality in VIA positive women randomly assigned to excisional therapy

In collaboration with a medical devices company in Utah, the engineering performance of the Liger Thermal Coagulator has been developed and tested in vitro and in vivo. 200+ Liger units have been produced and a randomised controlled trial of the device has been undertaken, compared to cryocautery and LLETZ using efficacy and user friendliness as endpoints. The inclusion of a study arm of excisional therapy allows to quantify the rate of overtreatment in VIA programmes and using the Z scan may allow for a non invasive method of accurately predicting normality and abnormality in VIA positive women.

Being tested
Thermocoagulation (device), Cryotherapy (device), LEEP (device)
Keywords
cervical precancer, screening, treatment, thermo-coagulation, thermal ablation, Reducing overtreatment
Medical subject headings
Uterine Cervical Dysplasia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Thermocoagulation (device)Procedure or surgery

    Thermocoagulation uses heat injury to destroy the abnormal dysplastic cells of the cervix

  • Cryotherapy (device)Procedure or surgery

    Cryotherapy uses cold injury to destroy the abnormal dysplastic cells of the cervix

  • LEEP (device)Procedure or surgery

    The abnormal area of the cervix is excised with a thin metallic loop driven by electrosurgical unit

Study groups in NCT02956239
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Thermocoagulation (device)ExperimentalVIA Positive women will be treated by the new device for thermocoagulation
Receives: Procedure: Thermocoagulation (device)
Cryotherapy (device)Active comparatorVIA positive women will be treated by cryotherapy
Receives: Procedure: Cryotherapy (device)
LEEP (device)Active comparatorVIA Positive women not suitable for thermo-coagulation or cryotherapy will be treated by LEEP
Receives: Procedure: LEEP (device)

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Difference in proportions with no lesions at 12 months follow-up between the thermocoagulation and cryotherapy arms among VIA positive women treated at baseline

    The VIA positive women will be followed up after 12 months to see if the lesions have disappeared. HPV test will be used as the test of cure

    Measured: 12 months

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Over-treatment defined as the number of VIA positive women found with no CIN lesions in the post-operative LEEP specimens

    The LEEP specimens will be subjected to histopathology to check for presence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasias

    Measured: 12 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted7 Nov 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study start1 Aug 2017
  3. Primary completion16 Feb 2022
  4. Study completion29 Feb 2024

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
3,124 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02956239
Sponsor's protocol ID
1UH2CA202721-01
Acronym
DELTA
Status last verified
Jul 2024
First submitted
6 Sep 2016
Last updated
8 Jul 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes

Publications

  • Pinder LF, Parham GP, Basu P, Muwonge R, Lucas E, Nyambe N, Sauvaget C, Mwanahamuntu MH, Sankaranarayanan R, Prendiville W. Thermal ablation versus cryotherapy or loop excision to treat women positive for cervical precancer on visual inspection with acetic acid test: pilot phase of a randomised controlled trial. Lancet Oncol. 2020 Jan;21(1):175-184. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30635-7. Epub 2019 Nov 14.

    PubMed 31734069
  • Mwanahamuntu M, Kapambwe S, Pinder LF, Matambo J, Chirwa S, Chisele S, Basu P, Prendiville W, Sankaranarayanan R, Parham GP. The use of thermal ablation in diverse cervical cancer "screen-and-treat" service platforms in Zambia. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2022 Apr;157(1):85-89. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.13808. Epub 2021 Jul 31.

    PubMed 34197624
  • Basu P, Mwanahamuntu M, Pinder LF, Muwonge R, Lucas E, Nyambe N, Chisele S, Shibemba AL, Sauvaget C, Sankaranarayanan R, Prendiville W, Parham GP. A portable thermal ablation device for cervical cancer prevention in a screen-and-treat setting: a randomized, noninferiority trial. Nat Med. 2024 Sep;30(9):2596-2604. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03080-w. Epub 2024 Jun 25.

    PubMed 38918630

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Thermocoagulation (device), Cryotherapy (device) and LEEP (device) in people with Cervical Precancer, run by International Agency for Research on Cancer at 1 site in Zambia.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Jul 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Zambia. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Difference in proportions with no lesions at 12 months follow-up between the thermocoagulation and cryotherapy arms among VIA positive women treated at baseline (time frame: 12 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02956239, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Jul 2024.

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