The Palliative Effect of Endoscopic Uncovered Self-expandable Metallic Stent Placement Versus Gastrojejunostomy on Malignant Gastric Outlet Obstruction: A Pilot Study with a Retrospective Chart Review in Saga, Japan

Treatment of choice for malignant gastric outlet obstruction: More than clearing the road

In this editorial, we comment on the in-press article in the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy concerning the treatment of malignant gastric outlet obstruction (mGOO). The original theory of treatment involves bypassing the obstruction or reenabling the patency of the passage. Conventional surgical gastroenterostomy provides long-term relief of symptoms in selected patients, with substantial morbidity and a considerable rate of delayed gastric emptying. Endoscopic stenting was introduced as an alternative minimally invasive procedure with less procedural morbidity and rapid clinical improvement; however, it presented a high rate of long-term recurrence. Therefore, challenges remain in the treatment of mGOO patients to improve clinical outcomes. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gastroenterostomy has recently emerged as a promising method because of the combined effects of surgery and endoscopy, whereas stomach-partitioning gastrojejunostomy has been reported as a modified surgical procedure to reduce the rate of delayed gastric emptying. In decision-making regarding the treatment of choice, it should be taken into account that mGOO might be accompanied by a variety of pathological conditions, including cancer cachexia, anorexia, malabsorption, and etc., all of which can also lead to the characteristic symptoms and poor nutritional status of mGOO. The treatment plan should consider comprehensive aspects of patients to achieve practical improvements in prognosis and the quality of life.

Renal pelvis cancer with initial symptoms of malignant gastric outlet obstruction

Introduction

Gastric outlet obstruction caused by upper tract urothelial carcinoma is rare.

Case presentation

A 78-year-old man presented to the hospital with nausea and vomiting. No hematuria was observed. Computed tomography revealed a tumor in the right renal pelvis and duodenal stenosis. Gastrojejunostomy was performed to treat the symptoms of the gastric outlet obstruction so that the patient could resume oral intake and outpatient chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was unsuccessful, and the patient died 9 months after the gastrojejunostomy. Histological assessment of an autopsy specimen revealed plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma with direct infiltration of the duodenal wall, which caused the stenosis.

Conclusion

Autopsy revealed a right renal pelvis cancer causing gastric outlet obstruction. Early gastrojejunostomy enabled oral intake and outpatient visits.

A Meta-Analysis of Endoscopic Stenting Versus Surgical Treatment for Malignant Gastric Outlet Obstruction

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Surgical gastrojejunostomy (GJJ) and endoscopic stenting (ES) are the two most available treatments for palliation of malignant gastric obstruction (MGOO). The aim of this study is to compare these two techniques regarding efficacy, safety, time of hospitalization and survival.

METHODS

We performed a literature search from January 2010 to September 2020 to identify available randomized controlled studies and observational studies that compared ES and GJJ for the treatment of MGOO.

RESULTS

A total of 17 studies were found. ES and GJJ showed similar technical and clinical success rate. ES was superior to obtain early oral re-feeding, shorter length of hospitalization and a lower incidence of complications than GJJ. Surgical palliation had a lower recurrence rate of obstructive symptoms and longer overall survival than ES.

CONCLUSIONS

Both procedures have advantages and disadvantages. Probably we should not find the best palliation but the best approach based on the patient characteristics and tumor type.

Treating an Intractable Jejunocutaneous Fistula by Endoscopic Metallic Stent Placement: A Case Report of Successful Palliative Endoscopic Treatment in a Case Demonstrating Peritoneal Dissemination with Terminal Stage Gastric Cancer

A 74-year-old woman with recurrent gastric cancer underwent laparotomy for peritoneal dissemination, and the damaged jejunum formed a jejunocutaneous fistula. Because conservative treatment alone could not cure the fistula, we performed an endoscopic placement of a partially covered self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) to cover the fistula. After the procedure, the contrast medium no longer leaked from the intestinal lumen. One month after stent placement, the cutaneous opening had closed. This case report demonstrates the potential for using partially covered SEMS to treat intractable jejunocutaneous fistula in patients with terminal-stage malignant tumors.

Gastrojejunostomy versus endoscopic stenting for the palliation of malignant gastric outlet obstruction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Though gastrojejunostomy (GJ) has been a standard palliative procedure for gastric outlet obstruction (GOO), endoscopic stenting (ES) has shown to provide benefits due to its non-invasive approach. The aim of this review is to perform a comprehensive evaluation of ES versus GJ for the palliation of malignant GOO.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL databases were searched and comparative studies of adult GOO patients undergoing ES or GJ were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcomes were survival time and mortality. Secondary outcomes included technical success, clinical success, reinterventions, days until oral food tolerance, postoperative adjuvant palliative chemotherapy, postoperative morbidities, length of stay (LOS), and costs. Pairwise meta-analyses using inverse-variance random effects were performed.

RESULTS

After identifying 2222 citations, 39 full-text articles fit the inclusion criteria. In total, 3128 ES patients (41.4% female, age: 68.0 years) and 2116 GJ patients (40.4% female, age: 66.8 years) were included. ES patients experienced a shorter survival time (mean difference -24.77 days, 95% Cl - 45.11 to  - 4.43, p = 0.02) and were less likely to undergo adjuvant palliative chemotherapy (risk ratio 0.81, 95% Cl 0.70 to 0.93, p = 0.004). The ES group had a shorter LOS, shorter time to oral intake of liquids and solids, and less surgical site infections (risk ratio 0.30, 95% Cl 0.12 to 0.75, p = 0.01). The patients in the ES group were at greater risk of requiring reintervention (risk ratio 2.60, 95% Cl 1.87 to 3.63, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

ES results in less postoperative morbidity and shorter LOS when compared to GJ, however, this may be at the cost of decreased initiation of adjuvant palliative chemotherapy and overall survival, as well as increased risk of reintervention. Both techniques are likely appropriate in select clinical scenarios.

Efficacy and safety of endoscopic duodenal stent versus endoscopic or surgical gastrojejunostomy to treat malignant gastric outlet obstruction: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and study aims  Malignant disease accounts for up to 80 % of gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) cases, which may be treated with duodenal self-expanding metal stents (SEMS), surgical gastrojejunostomy (GJ), and more recently endoscopic-ultrasound-guided gastroenterostomy (EUS-GE). These three treatments have not been compared head-to-head in a randomized trial. Methods  We searched the Embase and MEDLINE databases for studies published January 2015-February 2021 assessing treatment of malignant GOO using duodenal SEMS, endoscopic (EUS-GE) or surgical (laparoscopic or open) GJ. Efficacy outcomes assessed included technical and clinical success rates, GOO recurrence and reintervention. Safety outcomes included procedure-related bleeding or perforation, and stent-related events for the duodenal SEMS and EUS-GE arms. Results  EUS-GE had a lower rate of technical success (95.3%) than duodenal SEMS (99.4 %) or surgical GJ (99.9%) ( P  = 0.0048). For duodenal SEMS vs. EUS-GE vs. surgical GJ, rates of clinical success (88.9 % vs. 89.0 % vs. 92.3 % respectively, P  = 0.49) were similar. EUS-GE had a lower rate of GOO recurrence based on limited data ( P  = 0.0036), while duodenal SEMS had a higher rate of reintervention ( P  = 0.041). Overall procedural complications were similar (duodenal SEMS 18.7 % vs. EUS-GE 21.9 % vs. surgical GJ 23.8 %, P  = 0.32), but estimated bleeding rate was lowest ( P  = 0.0048) and stent occlusion rate was highest ( P  = 0.0002) for duodenal SEMS. Conclusions  Duodenal SEMS, EUS-GE, and surgical GJ showed similar clinical efficacy for the treatment of malignant GOO. Duodenal SEMS had a lower procedure-related bleeding rate but higher rate of reintervention.

Comparison of gastrojejunostomy to endoscopic stenting for gastric outlet obstruction: An updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to determine the optimal intervention modality for malignant GOO by comparing clinical outcomes after Gastrojejunostomy and endoscopic stenting.

METHODS

Two authors independently searched Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for articles before February 2021 to compare the clinical outcomes of GOO patients undergoing GJ or ES.

RESULTS

This meta-analysis included 31 articles with 2444 GOO patients. Although the GJ group outperformed the ES group in technical success (OR,3.79; P = 0.003), clinical success was not significantly different between the two groups (OR,1.25; P = 0.50). The GJ group had a longer hospitalization, lower re-obstruction and lower reintervention. Moreover, GJ had a better survival than ES in the gastric cancer group (HR, 0.33; P = 0.009). However, no significant statistical difference was observed in the pancreatic cancer group (HR, 0.55; P = 0.159).

CONCLUSIONS

Both GJ and ES are safe and effective intervention modalities for malignant GOO. GJ had significantly improved survival in gastric cancer patients with GOO, while no significant difference was observed between the two groups in pancreatic cancer patients with GOO.

Endoscopic Gastrointestinal Anastomosis Using Lumen-apposing Metal Stent (LAMS) for Benign or Malignant Etiologies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Endoscopic gastrointestinal anastomosis using lumen-apposing metal stents (EGAL) is a new technique that is used as an alternative method to bypass benign or malignant strictures. Endoscopists take advantage of 2 bowel loops that are close to each other and place a stent between the lumen of these 2 bowel loops. The authors performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this rising procedure.

METHODS

Electronic database searches were conducted for full eligible articles that were published from the inception to July 2019 using the EGAL procedure to bypass malignant or benign obstruction or to restore bowel integrity after a gastrointestinal altering surgery. The primary outcome of this meta-analysis was to assess efficacy through technical and clinical success. Secondary outcomes were to assess safety through adverse events and to assess the rate of stent maldeployment and the rate of reintervention during the study period.

RESULTS

Eight studies were eligible, providing data on 269 patients who underwent 271 EGAL procedures. The median age was 65 years (interquartile range: 63 to 66) with 46% male individuals. Out of 269 patients, 203 underwent EGALs because of malignant etiology and 66 underwent EGAL for benign etiology. The median duration of follow-up was 114 days (interquartile range: 78 to 121). Technical success rate was 94.1% [95% confidence interval (CI), 91.4%-96.9%]. Clinical success rate was 91.4% (95% CI, 88.1%-94.7%). Adverse events rate was 8.5% (95% CI, 4.7%-12.3%). Stent maldeployment rate was 9.5% (95% CI, 3.5%-15.4%) of the total performed EGALs and the reintervention rate was 6.0% (95% CI, 2.3%-9.8%).

CONCLUSION

EGAL procedure has high efficacy and a relatively safe profile and it can be performed in selected patients. Comparison between EGAL and other conventional therapies is difficult because of the lack of randomized trials.

Clinical outcome of a highly flexible duodenal stent for gastric outlet obstruction: A multicenter prospective study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Endoscopic duodenal stenting for patients with malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) has been widespread; however, clinical trials evaluating the structures of duodenal stents are lacking. Thus, we aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of a highly flexible duodenal stent for GOO patients.

METHODS

A prospective study of duodenal stenting for GOO patients from five hospitals between August 2017 and August 2018 was performed. WallFlex Duodenal Soft were used in all procedures. The primary endpoint was clinical success, defined as an improvement in the GOO scoring system.

RESULTS

The study enrolled 31 patients (12 women, 19 men) with GOO, with a median age of 70 (range 52-90) years. Primary diseases were pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, biliary tract cancer, and others in 14, 10, 3, and 4 patients, respectively. The technical success rate was 97%, and the clinical success rate was 87%. Simultaneous biliary drainage was performed in 19% of patients. Adverse events occurred in three patients. Chemotherapy was given in 41% of clinically successful cases, and the median overall survival time after stent placement was 82 days (range, 30-341 days), and. Stent dysfunction occurred in 30% of clinically successful cases (stent ingrowth in seven and stent overgrowth in one patient). The median time to stent dysfunction was 157 days (range, 11-183 days). Six patients were treated with additional stent placement after dysfunction.

CONCLUSION

Placement of a highly flexible duodenal stent is an effective and safe treatment for patients with GOO (UMIN-CTR 000028783).

Palliative surgical bypass is superior to palliative endoscopic stenting in patients with malignant gastric outlet obstruction: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Gastrojejunostomy (GJ) and self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) are the two most common palliative treatment options for patients with malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). Randomised trials and retrospective studies have shown discrepant results, so that there is still a controversy regarding the optimal treatment of GOO.

METHODS

Medline, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for studies comparing GJ to SEMS in patients with malignant GOO. Primary outcomes were survival and postoperative mortality. Secondary outcomes were frequency of re-interventions, major complications, time to oral intake and length of hospital stay.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven studies, with a total of 2.354 patients, 1.306 (55.5%) patients in the SEMS and 1.048 (44.5%) patients in the GJ group, were considered suitable for inclusion. GJ was associated with significantly longer survival than SEMS (mean difference 43 days, CI 12.00, 73.70, p = 0.006). Postoperative mortality (OR 0.55, CI 0.27, 1.16, p = 0.12) and major complications (OR 0.73, CI 0.5, 1.06, p = 0.10) were similar in both groups. The frequency of re-interventions, however, was almost three times higher in the SEMS group (OR 2.95, CI: 1.70, 5.14, p < 0.001), whereas the mean time to oral intake and length of hospital stay were shorter in the SEMS group (mean differences - 5 days, CI - 6.75, - 3.05 days, p < 0.001 and - 10 days, CI - 11.6, - 7.9 days, p < 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with malignant GOO and acceptable performance status should be primarily considered for a palliative GJ rather than SEMS.

Stomach-partitioning gastrojejunostomy versus stent placement for the treatment of malignant gastric outlet obstruction

INTRODUCTION

Gastric outlet obstruction is a complication of advanced tumors. It causes upper gastrointestinal obstruction, with progressive malnutrition and reduced survival. Currently, gastrojejunostomy or stent placement (SP) are feasible alternatives for the treatment of malignant gastric outlet obstruction. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy and survival of both techniques.

METHODS

Single-center observational and prospective study of 58 patients with gastric outlet obstruction who underwent surgical treatment with stomach-partitioning gastrojejunostomy (SPGJ) or SP with self-expanding intraluminal prostheses between 2007 and 2018.

RESULTS

Thirty patients underwent SPGJ and 28 SP. The mean age of the first group was significantly lower (69 vs. 78 years, respectively; P=.001). There were no statistically significant differences in terms of sex, perioperative risk or tumor etiology. Postoperative complications were non-significantly higher in the SPGJ group (P=.156). SP was associated with a shorter hospital stay (P=.02) and faster oral intake (P<.0001). However, SP had significantly higher rates of persistent and recurrent obstruction (P=.048 and .01, respectively), poorer energy targets (P=.009) and shorter survival (9.61 vs. 4.47 months; P=.008).

CONCLUSIONS

SPGJ presents greater luminal permeability, better oral intake and greater survival than SP. SP is preferable for non-surgical patients with a limited short-term prognosis.

Gastric outlet obstruction caused by metastatic tumor of the stomach originating from primary breast cancer: A case report

The most common sites of breast cancer metastasis are the bone, liver, lung and brain, while gastrointestinal metastasis from breast cancer is rare. We herein present the case of a 68-year-old woman who was admitted to our department with nausea and appetite loss. The patient's medical history included right mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy 5 years earlier for invasive lobular carcinoma, measuring 6.2 cm in greatest diameter, without lymphovascular invasion. Two years after the surgery, the patient developed brain metastasis and underwent metastasectomy to control the neurological symptoms, including unsteadiness and asthenia. After the second surgery, the patient received systemic chemotherapy using S-1, followed by bevacizumab plus paclitaxel. However, due to bevacizumab-related cardiotoxicity, the treatment was switched to eribulin. On esophagogastroduodenoscopy, an elevated lesion was identified in the antrum, causing severe narrowing of the gastric outlet. Biopsy and histological examination of the tumor revealed infiltration of the gastric wall by undifferentiated neoplastic cells with poor adhesion, morphologically similar to invasive lobular carcinoma, and immunohistochemical staining was positive for estrogen receptor, mammaglobin and GATA3. Finally, ¹⁸F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography imaging revealed FDG uptake across the thickness of the antral wall. The patient was diagnosed with gastric metastasis from the original breast cancer and subsequently underwent endoscopic self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement. There were no procedure-related adverse events, and the patient remained alive under best supportive care 4 months after SEMS placement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of gastric outlet obstruction caused by metastatic breast carcinoma managed by SEMS placement. While such a diagnosis is rare, clinicians treating patients with gastric metastases should be aware of possible gastric outlet obstruction and SEMS placement as an effective palliative intervention.

Stent placement versus surgical palliation for adults with malignant gastric outlet obstruction

BACKGROUND

Malignant gastric outlet obstruction is the clinical and pathological consequence of cancerous disease causing a mechanical obstruction to gastric emptying. It usually occurs when malignancy is at an advanced stage; therefore, people have a limited life expectancy. It is of paramount importance to restore oral intake to improve quality of life for the person in a manner that has a minimal risk of complications and a short recovery period.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the benefits and harms of endoscopic stent placement versus surgical palliation for people with symptomatic malignant gastric outlet obstruction.

SEARCH METHODS

In May 2018 we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase and Ovid CINAHL. We screened reference lists from included studies and review articles.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials comparing stent placement with surgical palliation for people with gastric outlet obstruction secondary to malignant disease.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently extracted study data. We calculated the risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for binary outcomes, mean difference (MD) or standardised mean difference (SMD) with 95% CI for continuous outcomes and the hazard ratio (HR) for time-to-event outcomes. We performed meta-analyses where meaningful. We assessed the quality of evidence using GRADE criteria.

MAIN RESULTS

We identified three randomised controlled trials with 84 participants. Forty-one participants underwent surgical palliation and 43 participants underwent duodenal stent placement. There may have been little or no difference in the technical success of the procedure (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.09; low-quality evidence), or whether the time to resumption of oral intake was quicker for participants who had undergone duodenal stent placement (MD -3.07 days, 95% CI -4.76 to -1.39; low-quality evidence).Due to very low-quality evidence, we were uncertain whether surgical palliation improved all-cause mortality and median survival postintervention.The time to recurrence of obstructive symptoms may have increased slightly following duodenal stenting (RR 5.08, 95% CI 0.96 to 26.74; moderate-quality evidence).Due to very low-quality evidence, we were uncertain whether surgical palliation improved serious and minor adverse events. The heterogeneity for adverse events was moderately high (serious adverse events: Chi² = 1.71; minor adverse events: Chi² = 3.08), reflecting the differences in definitions used and therefore, may have impacted the outcomes. The need for reintervention may have increased following duodenal stenting (RR 4.71, 95% CI 1.36 to 16.30; very low-quality evidence).The length of hospital stay may have been shorter (by approximately 4 to 10 days) following stenting (MD -6.70 days, 95% CI -9.41 to -3.98; moderate-quality evidence).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The use of duodenal stent placement in malignant gastric outlet obstruction has the benefits of a quicker resumption of oral intake and a reduced inpatient hospital stay; however, this is balanced by an increase in the recurrence of symptoms and the need for further intervention.It is impossible to draw further conclusions on these and the other measured outcomes, primarily due to the low number of eligible studies and small number of participants which resulted in low-quality evidence. It was not possible to analyse the impact on quality of life each intervention had for these participants.