EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL-STUDIES ON BALLOON LASERTHERMIA USING ND - YAG LASER FOR UTERINE ENDOMETRIAL CANCER

Background and Objective: No conservative therapy for endo metrial can cer exists. We therefore evaluated the new balloon laserthermia for su ch cases. Study Design/Material and Methods: Experimental and clinical study. We examined experimentally porcine kidney and stomach, human r esected uterus and clinically on 12 patients with endometrial cancer a nd two patients with hyperplasia. Results: Temperatures were safely ke pt at the balloon surface. Laser irradiation shoud be performed for at least 10-15 min, 65-70 degrees C to produce a suitable degeneration, experimentally. Clinically, necrosis and degeneration to a depth of 4- 6 mm was histologically observed. Eight patients with carcinoma and hy perplasia for which laserthermia was effective showed that the surface of cancer was smooth and the depth of invasion was in most cases up t o 1/4 of muscle layer. Conclusion: Balloon laserthermia may be effecti ve in early endometrial cancer or precancerous lesions. Its clinical u sefulness should be investigated further. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.