Impact of Colposcopy–Guided Treatment of Recurrent Genital Warts on Patients Quality of Life.

Introduction: Genital warts (GWs),due to association with increased cervical cancer risk and high recurrence rate,have deteriorating impacts on patient's quality of life (QOL). We investigated effects of colposcopy-guided cau- terization of recurrent GWs on patient's QOL. Methods& Materials: Women who were referred to our clinic with recurrent GWs were included. Colposcopic impression of cervix were evalu- ated and pap smear and colposcopic biopsy (if applicable) were taken. Apparent GWs were cauterized using a silver nitrate (SN) pencil under direct visual inspection. A standard QOLquestionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) were filled by each individual before and 6-month after treatment. Results: Finally, 169 women with recurrent GWs and mean age of 35.78±8.82 years were included. Majority (90.5%) of cases hadn't previous history of GWs before last 6 months. Mean scores of QOL questionnaires in all assessed domains had improved considerably, after a 6-month follow up (P<0.001). No significant SN-related side effect was reported. No recurrence was detected during follow up period. Conclusion:Cauterization of recurrent GWs, using SN pencils, by direct visual inspection improved patient's QOL, remarkably. Reducing treatment duration and number of visits, decreasing recurrence rate and cost of treatment can be the main factors of this finding.