A new non-invasive approach based on polyhexamethylene biguanide increases the regression rate of HPV infection

BACKGROUND: HPV infection is a worldwide problem strictly linked to the development of cervical cancer. Persistence of the infection is one of the main factors responsible for the invasive progression and women diagnosed with intraepithelial squamous lesions are referred for further assessment and surgical treatments which are prone to complications. Despite this, there are several reports on the spontaneous regression of the infection. This study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of a long term polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB)-based local treatment in improving the viral clearance, reducing the time exposure to the infection and avoiding the complications associated with the invasive treatments currently available. METHOD: 100 women diagnosed with HPV infection were randomly assigned to receive six months of treatment with a PHMB-based gynecological solution (Monogin®, Lo.Li. Pharma, Rome - Italy) or to remain untreated for the same period of time. RESULTS: A greater number of patients, who received the treatment were cleared of the infection at the two time points of the study (three and six months) compared to that of the control group. A significant difference in the regression rate (90% Monogin group vs 70% control group) was observed at the end of the study highlighting the time-dependent ability of PHMB to interact with the infection progression. CONCLUSIONS: The topic treatment with PHMB is a preliminary safe and promising approach for patients with detected HPV infection increasing the chance of clearance and avoiding the use of invasive treatments when not strictly necessary. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01571141