title: Surgical and interventional palliative treatment of upper gastrointestinal malignancies.
abstract: Malignancies of the upper gastrointestinal tract, including the oesophagus, stomach, liver, bile ducts and pancreas, are highly virulent diseases. While curative therapies relieve symptoms caused by these cancers, most of these treatments prove unsuccessful in the control of tumour due to occult residual disease. This review covers only planned palliative procedures for these conditions where patient factors (e.g. performance status or patient wishes) or tumour factors (e.g. locally advanced or known metastatic disease) prevent potentially curative intervention. For most patients, palliation of luminal obstruction, pain or other symptoms is the most worthwhile treatment that can be offered with present therapies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterologic and General Surgery, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Bender
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gostout
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Donohue
mesh_terms: D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy