Experimental and clinical studies on balloon laserthermia using Nd:YAG laser for uterine endometrial cancer

Background and Objective No conservative therapy for endometrial cancer exists. We therefore evaluated the new balloon laserthermia for such cases. Study Design/Material and Methods: Experimental and clinical study. We examined experimentally porcine kidney and stomach, human resected uterus and clinically on 12 patients with endometrial cancer and two patients with hyperplasia. Results Temperatures were safely kept at the balloon surface. Laser irradiation should be performed for at least 10–15 min, 65–70°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 hyperplasia for which laserthermia was effective showed that the surface of cancer was smooth and the depth of invasion was in most cases up to 1/4 of muscle layer. Conclusion Balloon laserthermia may be effective in early endometrial cancer or precancerous lesions. Its clinical usefulness should be investigated further. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.