Self-expandable esophageal stents placement for the palliation of dysphagia as a result of lung cancer.

We report our experience with self-expandable metallic stents for the palliation of malignant dysphagia and tracheoesophageal fistulae caused by lung cancer. Esophageal self-expandable metallic stents were deployed in 28 patients with malignant dysphagia as a result of lung cancer between August 2002 and January 2009. Mean age was 62.1 (42-77) with 26 male patients. Twenty-three patients received previous chemo-radiotherapy and two had pneumonectomy. Tracheoesophageal fistulae were coexisting in eight patients. Stents were inserted under fluoroscopic control over guide-wire with the patient under conscious sedation. One stent was used in all patients except one fistula patient with two stents. Immediate improvement after stent insertion was seen in all patients. Fistulae were sealed off in all. No complication was seen except transitional pain in 12 patients (42%). During the follow-up, all patients remained asymptomatic with no clinical appearance of dysphagia symptoms except one patient whom gastrostomy was applied. All patients with fistulae died with a mean survival of 15.4 weeks. Dysphagia patients without fistulae died with mean survival of 6 months except one patient with 1 month follow-up. Self-expandable esophageal metallic stent insertion can manage malignant dysphagia in lung cancer patients with significant survival period via nonsurgical approach.