Pang, Maoyin

ABSTRACT We present the cast of a 74-year-old woman with a remote history of recurrent localized breast cancer who presented with nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms who was subsequently found to have metastatic breast cancer in the transverse colon. Nonspecific gastrointestinal complaints can be the first sign of cancer recurrence in these patients. Providers should maintain a high index of suspicion for disease recurrence when evaluating cancer survivors.

Abstract Background Proximal esophageal stents are poorly tolerated and have a high risk of complications. We report our experience using fully covered, biliary, self-expandable metal stents (B-SEMS) and narrow-diameter, esophageal, self-expandable metal stents (NDE-SEMS) for this group of patients. Methods 24 patients underwent placement of B-SEMS or NDE-SEMS for proximal esophageal lesions between 1 January 2011 and 31 July 2016. The outcomes included improvement of dysphagia, healing of fistulas, and adverse events. Results 10 patients received B-SEMS and 14 had NDE-SEMS. Median follow-up time was 11.5 months (range 0.5 – 62 months). In both cohorts, stents were left in place for a mean of 6 weeks. The dysphagia score decreased in 7 (70 %) and 10 (71.4 %) patients, and fistulas resolved in 3/5 (60.0 %) and 5/8 (62.5 %) patients with B-SEMS and NDE-SEMS, respectively. Stent migration occurred in three patients (30.0 %) with B-SEMS and five patients (35.7 %) with NDE-SEMS. Conclusions Both stents were well tolerated and resulted in overall improvement of dysphagia in 70.8 % of patients. B-SEMS appeared to be more favorable for cervical esophageal lesions with narrower diameters, while NDE-SEMS may be better for more distal lesions.