Esophageal stenting is often considered to relieve dysphagia in patients with locoregionally advanced esophageal cancer. We sought to determine the effects of stenting on the incidence of acute toxicity and oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing chemoradiation therapy (CRT).

The data from patients treated with curative intent CRT for locoregionally advanced esophageal cancer at the University of Utah were retrospectively analyzed. The χ or Fisher exact test was used to compare the demographic and tumor characteristics between patients with and without esophageal stenting before RT. Univariate and multivariate analyses using logistic regression modeling were used to identify the predictors of acute toxicities. A propensity score-matched analysis with shared frailty Cox hazard regression was performed according to stent status to identify the stent effect on survival. Acute toxicities were graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.

From 2005 to 2013, 103 consecutive patients received CRT. Of the 103 patients, 28 had a stent in place during CRT. The median dose was 50.4 Gy for all patients. Grade ≥3 acute toxicities were seen in 71% of the stent versus 27% of the no-stent patients (P<.01), including esophagitis (39% vs 20%; P=.05), dehydration (29% vs 13%; P=.07), and anorexia (14% vs 5%; P=.13). Of the 103 patients, 29% of the stent and 51% of the no-stent patients underwent esophagectomy (P=.05). The only significant predictor for acute toxicity on multivariate analysis was esophageal stenting (odds ratio 8.1; P<.01). After propensity score matching, the stent patients had a worse median overall survival compared with the no-stent patients (11.5 vs 22.0 months; hazard ratio 2.3; P=.016).

In patients undergoing CRT with curative intent, esophageal stenting was associated with significantly increased grade ≥3 acute toxicities, fewer patients proceeding to esophagectomy, and worse overall survival.