HIV-positive people treated with a topical medication were about equally likely to experience improvement of precancerous anal cell changes as those who underwent electrocautery, a procedure that uses electricity to burn off abnormal lesions. The TECAIN trial enrolled 233 people with precancerous anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN). They were randomized to receive 85% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or electrocautery. Four weeks after the last treatment, 53% of people in the TCA group experienced resolution or regression of anal lesions, as did 62% of people in the electrocautery group. By six months, 51% and 49% experienced healing or a downgrade of their AIN stage. Fewer people successfully treated with TCA experienced recurrence. TCA required more administrations but led to fewer side effects. People who underwent electrocautery were more likely to report pain and require anesthesia or sedation. What’s more, TCA doesn’t require complex equipment and can be applied in an ordinary doctor’s office by physicians without special training.