Paiteling achieves 94.1% long-term HR-HPV clearance post-cervical cancer surgery, outperforming interferon

Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection following cervical cancer surgery significantly elevates the risk of disease recurrence and progression to vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia. Current management strategies often involve recombinant human interferon gel, which aims to clear viral loads and prevent progression. However, the long-term efficacy of existing treatments can be suboptimal, leaving a critical gap for sustained viral clearance. This study explores Paiteling, a Traditional Chinese Medicine compound, as a potential alternative for durable HR-HPV eradication post-surgery.

This retrospective cohort study compared Paiteling (n = 17) against recombinant human interferon gel (n = 19) in 36 patients with persistent HR-HPV after hysterectomy. Patients were followed at baseline, 6-month, and 12-month intervals. Primary endpoints included HPV DNA load assessment, ThinPrep cytologic test results, and colposcopic findings to evaluate viral clearance and disease progression. The study aimed to determine the comparative efficacy of these two treatments over time.

Initial assessment at 6 months revealed that the interferon group achieved a significantly higher HR-HPV cure rate of 68.4% compared to 17.6% in the Paiteling group (χ² = 7.646, p = 0.006). Subgroup analysis indicated consistent treatment effects across all HPV genotypes. Adverse events were generally mild and self-limiting, with no statistically significant difference observed between the Paiteling group (29.4%) and the interferon group (10.5%) (p = 0.226). > However, a notable reversal occurred by 12 months, with Paiteling demonstrating superior clearance rates at 94.1% versus 63.2% for interferon (χ² = 4.976, p = 0.044). Multivariable analysis further confirmed Paiteling treatment as a strong independent predictor of HPV clearance, yielding an adjusted OR of 9.52 (95% CI: 1.11-220.32, p = 0.039).