Self-expanding plastic esophageal stents versus jejunostomy tubes for the maintenance of nutrition during neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy in patients with esophageal cancer: A retrospective study

In patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer, the inability to eat may severely impair nutritional status. We conducted a retrospective study to compare the efficacy of the Polyflex self-expanding silicone stent (PS) versus a jejunostomy tube (JT) for maintaining nutrition during neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy in patients with esophageal cancer who were scheduled for resectional surgery. Thirty-six patients were treated either with PS placement (12 patients) or JT placement (24 patients) prior to receiving an 8-week course of chemoradiation therapy. Patients were interviewed weekly until cessation of therapy. Patient data were collected on procedural success and complication rates, nutritional status, and dysphagia scores. PS placement was successful in 11 of 12 patients (92%), and those 11 patients were able to resume oral nutrition. Dysphagia scores improved from a mean of 3 to 1 in the PS group (P < 0.005) but did not change significantly in the JT group. PS were removed endoscopically without complications prior to the esophagectomies. Albumin levels and weight increased significantly in both the PS and JT groups. There were no significant differences between groups in the procedural success rates (PS 92% vs. JT 100%, P = 0.33), complication rates (PS 22% vs. JT 4%, P = 0.11), mean increase in weight (PS 4.4kg vs. JT 4.2kg, P = 0.59), and mean increase in serum albumin (PS 0.62g/dL vs. JT 0.44g/dL, P = 0.05). PS is a safe and effective alternative to a surgical JT for maintaining nutrition in this subset of patients.