[Endoscopic palliative therapy of malignant esophageal and cardia stenoses. Results--complications--follow-up].

60% of oesophageal and cardiac carcinomas are curatively inoperable at the time of diagnosis. Non-surgical, especially endoscopic palliative procedures gained enormously in topicality. Since 1984 we treated 96 patients with malignant stenoses of the upper gastrointestinal tract by different endoscopic therapies: bougienage, laser coagulation, ballon dilatation, implantation of bridging tubes. Complication rate and lethality of all procedures were low. By none of the endoscopic measures was a prolongation of survival time achieved. Bougienage in combination with laser coagulation as well as tube implantation improved the patients' life quality.