A New Fully Covered Irradiation Stent Versus a Partially Covered Irradiation Stent for Unresectable Malignant Dysphagia: A Single-Center Experience.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of a newly developed fully covered irradiation stent (FCIS) compared with a partially covered irradiation stent (PCIS) in patients with unresectable malignant dysphagia.

Materials And Methods: Data of 195 patients [158 (81.0%) males, median age of 75 years (range 49-89 years)] who underwent FCIS or PCIS placement for unresectable malignant dysphagia from January 2012 to November 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The median follow-up time was 181 days (range 4-547 days). Outcomes were measured in terms of recurrent dysphagia (primary), technical success, clinical success, overall survival, and adverse events. Recurrent dysphagia was analyzed by Fine-Gray regression model.

Results: The technical success rate was 97.8% (87/89) in the FCIS group and 99.1% (105/106) in the PCIS group (P = 0.59). The clinical success rate was 100.0% in both groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the recurrent dysphagia rate between the FCIS and PCIS groups (21.8% vs. 28.6%; P = 0.12). Compared with PCISs, FCISs were associated with a decrease in tissue/tumor growth rate (11.5% vs. 21.9%; P = 0.01), while stent migration rates were statistically comparable (11.5% vs. 5.7%; P = 0.23). The median overall survivals were comparable between the FCIS and PCIS groups (164 days vs. 162 days; P = 0.70). A dysphagia score of 4 and metastasis were risk factors for survival. No significant differences were observed in the rates of adverse events, including chest pain, fistula formation, hemorrhage, and aspiration pneumonia (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: For patients with unresectable malignant dysphagia, this newly developed FCIS can provide efficacy and safety comparable to those of a PCIS. Compared with PCIS, this FCIS is more successful in preventing tissue/tumor growth, with a comparable stent migration rate.