Endoscopic Nd: YAG laser therapy for carcinoma of the esophagus: a new palliative approach.

Since esophageal carcinoma is usually disseminated by the time diagnosis is made, treatment is often palliative. Symptomatic patients for whom no cure was possible were treated endoscopically with the Nd:YAG laser. Five patients aged 49 to 64 years, with tumors ranging in length from 5 to 11 cm, were treated. Significant clinical, endoscopic and radiographic improvements were noted in all patients. No major side effects were encountered. Endoscopic Nd:YAG laser therapy for carcinoma of the esophagus may provide a promising new approach for palliative treatment.