Kübra GEYİK ŞENGÜL, Fatma Devran BILDIRCIN GÖKYAR
Journal of Experimental and Clinical Medicine - 2026;43(2):153-158
Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignancies worldwide. Early detection of precancerous lesions through screening offers an opportunity for treatment. HPV, detected in 99.7% of cervical cancers, can be prevented with appropriate screening and preventive approaches. Although it has been suggested in recent years that vaginal products containing antioxidants may accelerate HPV eradication, there is insufficient clinical evidence on this matter. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an antioxidant vaginal gel on HPV negativity and cytological regression. This study, conducted at a tertiary healthcare facility, examined patients who tested positive for ASC-US, LSIL, HSIL, and oncogenic HPV via Pap smear between January 2017 and December 2022. Patients were divided into two groups: those using and those not using antioxidant vaginal gel. Baseline and 12-18 month follow-up HPV and cytology results were compared. The negativity rate in the control HPV test was 56.1% in the group not using the gel and 52.6% in the group using the gel, with no significant difference between the groups (p=0.599). Although regression was observed in both groups during cytological follow-up, the intraepithelial lesion rates did not significantly decrease in the group using the gel, and cytological improvement was similar to that of the group not using the gel. There was also no statistically significant difference between the groups in the cytological change categories (p=0.686). Despite being widely preferred in clinical practice, and unlike the limited studies in the literature, our study did not find evidence that the use of antioxidant vaginal gels significantly contributed to HPV negativity or regression of cytological abnormalities. Large-scale, long-term, prospective randomized studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of these products.
