Expandable Polyester Silicon-Covered Stent for Malignant Esophageal Structures before Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation: A Pilot Study

Patients with resectable esophageal cancer often require placement of a surgical jejunostomy tube prior to receiving chemoradiation so as to maintain adequate nutrition due to their inability to swallow and eat. This study reports a single institutional experience with the Polyflex self-expanding silicone stent (Rüsch; Kernen. Germany) in patients with malignant stenosis receiving chemoradiation prior to esophagectomy. This was a retrospective, nonrandomized study of 6 patients who underwent Polyflex esophageal stent placement across a malignant stricture prior to receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiation. The study assessed procedural success, restoration of oral nutrition, migration, and removal of the Polyflex stent. The outcomes measured were the efficacy of treatment, stent-related complications, and changes in the nutritional status of the patient after stent placement. Stent placement was successful in 5 of 6 patients (83%). Restoration of oral nutrition after stent placement occurred in 5 of 5 patients (100%). Migration of the stent into the stomach occurred in 3 patients (60%) without occurrence of gastric outlet obstruction; there was no proximal migration. Stents were successfully removed endoscopically or at the time of esophagectomy. This early experience suggests that the removable silicone Polyflex stent is an effective alternative to a surgical jejunostomy tube for the management of malignant esophageal stenosis in patients for whom neoadjuvant chemoradiation is planned prior to esophagectomy.