HRA: early diagnosis and treatment of anal dysplasia - THDLAB - COM

  • Screening of anal dysplasia and traditional HRA
  • The new frontier of high-resolution anoscopy: THD® HRStation

Screening of anal dysplasia and traditional HRA

Anal intraepithelial neoplastic lesions can turn into anal cancer, however this mutation normally occurs over very lengthy time intervals. This is why the colorectal surgeon is able to diagnose and treat anal lesions during a pre-cancerous phase.

Pap smear

The first screening for anal squamous cell carcinoma is an anal pap smear. However, the Pap smear has a sensitivity of between 69% and 93% and a specificity of 32% -59%.1

In view of the low sensitivity and specificity of the Pap Smear in screening AIN lesions, in particular in differentiating between L-SIL and H-SIL1 lesions, the method most commonly accepted by the scientific community is high resolution anoscopy (HRA).

HRA: High-Resolution Anoscopy

High-resolution anoscopy (HRA) allows for the identification of most anal intraepithelial neoplastic lesions at an early stage.

Early screening of anal cancer significantly reduces the incidence of the advanced disease and the need for invasive procedures. For this reason, diagnosis and prevention play a fundamental role in the management of anal carcinoma and of preneoplastic lesions, also known as anal dysplasia.

To date, high resolution anoscopy is one of the most effective tests for the screening and treatment of anal intraepithelial neoplastic lesions and in particular of anal carcinoma.

However, the reduced number of centres able to offer this examination makes it difficult for the population at risk to access it.

Furthermore, traditional high-resolution anoscopy has some limitations which often make its execution difficult and expensive. The HRA exam is traditionally carried out with a colposcope, a complex and cumbersome equipment initially developed for the diagnosis of cervical cancer.

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The new frontier of high-resolution anoscopy: THD® HRStation

The THD® HRStation with its HRA module offers a possible solution to overcome the limits associated with the use of other technologies.

The HRA Module of the THD® HRStation platform is a practical and compact instrument. It is available as a complete system capable of providing high-resolution images of the anal canal and of the anorectal junction. The THD® Light-Scope Procto HRA completes the HRA module, eliminating the need for external light sources.

For further information on the advantages of the THD® HRStation, click here.

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