Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40249396›Full record

ArticleJournal of gastrointestinal cancer2025

Effects of Palliative Esophageal External Beam Radiation Therapy in Patients with Stent for Esophageal Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Emily Adams, Héloïse Lavoie-Gagnon, Farhana Islam, Michael Humer, Benjamin Mou, Theodora A Koulis, David Kim, Siavash Atrchian

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of gastrointestinal cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Emily AdamsFaculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. emily.adams@mail.utoronto.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-9780-4006
Héloïse Lavoie-GagnonDépartement de Radiobiologie et Médecine Nucléaire, Université de Sherbrooke/Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de L'Université Sherbrooke (CHUS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3974-5504
Farhana IslamDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4800-0723
Michael HumerDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
Benjamin MouDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5636-604X
Theodora A KoulisDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
David KimDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Siavash AtrchianDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7624-7128

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSelf-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) provide immediate but nondurable dysphagia relief in esophageal cancer, while external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) provides slower, more durable dysphagia relief. While the combination of SEMS with EBRT would seem to offer both rapid and durable dysphagia relief in the palliative setting, there remains controversy on its safety and efficacy. We investigated patient outcomes regarding EBRT after SEMS placement in patients with incurable esophageal cancer at a regional Canadian cancer program.

methodsWe conducted a single-centre retrospective chart review from January 2010 to July 2020 to compare stent-related complications and survival in patients with incurable esophageal cancer treated with SEMS alone or SEMS + EBRT at Kelowna General Hospital.

results66 patients were included in the SEMS alone group and 26 in the SEMS + EBRT group. Patients treated with SEMS alone showed an average of 3.05 fewer stent-related complications compared to patients who received SEMS + EBRT. The SEMS alone group also had 9.05 greater odds of experiencing higher grade complications compared to the SEMS + EBRT group (p < 0.001). Patients in the SEMS + EBRT group survived significantly longer than those treated with SEMS alone, with a median overall survival of 163.5 days and 65 days, respectively.

conclusionsSEMS monotherapy was associated with significantly fewer, yet higher grade stent-related complications compared to palliative EBRT after SEMS placement. SEMS + EBRT treatment was associated with significantly prolonged survival compared to SEMS alone. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Indexed as

Deglutition DisordersEsophageal NeoplasmsPalliative CareSelf Expandable Metallic StentsAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesStentsTreatment OutcomeDysphagiaEBRTEsophageal cancerRadiotherapySEMSStent

Identifiers

PMID40249396

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.