[Clinical outcome of the use of self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) for palliation of patients with malignant upper GI obstruction caused by incurable gastric cancer].

Ten patients with malignant upper gastrointestinal obstruction caused by incurable gastric cancer underwent an endoscopic placement of self-expandable metallic stents for palliation. There were 6 male and 4 female patients aged 39-98 (median, 65.5). The site of obstruction was the cardia in 2, the pylorus in 4, the duodenum in 1, and surgical anastomosis in 3 patients. All the patients were unable to take food orally. Stent deployment was technically successful in all patients. After the stent insertion, 80% of patients resumed solid diet. The median survival time after the insertion was 129 days. The median length of home stay after the procedure was 54.5 days. Although chemotherapy was added in 5 patients after the insertion, there were no significant differences either in survival time or in home stay between the patients with and without chemotherapy. No procedure-related mortality was observed. Mediastinitis occurred in 1 patient, and the remaining 9 patients had no serious complications. Stent migration was observed in 2 patients, and stent occlusion due to tumor ingrowth occurred in 4 patients.