Thermal ablation devices

Portable

Allows treatment to be decentralized to lower levels of the health system.

Battery-powered

Can be used in a variety of settings, even where electricity may not be assured.

Easy to use

Meaning nurses and other health care workers can be trained to perform treatment.

More affordable

Per woman treated, thermal ablation is about one-fourth the cost of cryotherapy, the alternative treatment.

What is a thermal ablation device?

Thermal ablation devices are used for treating women who have pre-cancerous lesions on their cervix and are critical for preventing the progression to cancer. These devices provide an alternative treatment to cryotherapy replacing heavy containers requiring compressed gas with hand-held, battery powered tools that allow patients to receive treatment in primary health centers and reduce treatment time to just a couple of minutes, compared to a quarter of an hour.

Why are these tools so important for women in low- and middle-income countries?

Before our cervical cancer work began, innovative tools to prevent cervical cancer were in very limited use in just a handful of countries. Most lower-resourced countries did not have cervical cancer screening programs and conventional methods of screening and treatment made it unfeasible to implement. Thermal ablation devices, coupled with new, highly accurate tests, provided a route to implement prevention in resource-limited health settings.

How has Unitaid helped accelerate access?

Together with our partners, we have negotiated pricing agreements that have reduced the cost of thermal ablation devices by nearly 45%. Through a catalytic procurement of more than 6,000 devices, we secured the introduction and adoption of this critical tool in one-fifth of all low- and middle-income countries.