Times Now Digital 

New Delhi: In a significant breakthrough, a researcher from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) reportedly claimed to have found a complete cure for human papillomavirus (HPV), which may help prevent the spread of cervical cancer among women. Eva Ramon Gallegos, a Mexican scientist was able to completely eliminate the virus in 29 patients infected with HPV.

According to the report, the team of researchers led by Dr Gallegos treated the women using non-invasive photodynamic therapy (PDT). As per the National Cancer Institute, photodynamic therapy is a treatment that involves using a drug, called a photosensitizer or photosensitizing agent, and a particular type of light to treat different areas of the body. 

(Dr Eva Ramon Gallegos (middle) with her team. Image courtesy: National Polytechnic Institute)

Reportedly, Gallegos has been studying the effects of photodynamic therapy for two decades to help tackle different types of tumours such as breast and melanoma cancer. Gallegos, who specialises in the study of photodynamic therapy, treated 420 patients in Oaxaca and Veracruz, as well as 29 women in Mexico, using the technique.

The results were promising as the researchers found that the photodynamic therapy was able to eradicate the virus in 100% of the those who were HPV carriers without any premalignant lesions of cervical cancer, 64.3% in women with both HPV and lesions, and 57.2% in patients who had lesions without the HPV infection. 

What’s remarkable about this research is that this therapy doesn’t have any collateral damage to the human body, meaning it has no side effects.

“Unlike other treatments, it only eliminates damaged cells and does not affect healthy structures. Therefore, it has great potential to decrease the death rate from cervical cancer,” she explained, as per a Radio Guama report.

Human papillomavirus is widespread all over the world. There are more than 100 variants of HPV, of which at least 14 can cause cervical cancer - which is quickly becoming a leading cause for death among women cancer patients worldwide. With an estimated 570,000 new cases every year, representing 6.6% of all female cancers, cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women, says the World Health Organisation (WHO).

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Salisha