Self-expanding metal stents versus polyethylene stents for palliative treatment in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Endoscopic biliary drainage is widely accepted as palliative treatment in patients with pancreatic cancer. The current study was designed to compare self-expanding metal stent and polyethylene stent in a homogeneous patient group with advanced pancreatic cancer.


METHODS
The study included 154 patients initially treated with a metal or plastic stent. Median survival time, stent patency, and stent-associated hospital admissions were evaluated.


RESULTS
The median survival time in patients treated with metal and plastic stent was 5.9 and 4.4 months (P = 0.074), respectively. Self-expanding metal stents have a significantly higher patency rate than polyethylene stents. Stent occlusion was observed in 21 (33%) of 63 patients in the plastic stent group after a median period of 57 days and in 17 (19%) of 91 patients in the metal stent group after a median period of 126 days. The total time of hospital stay after initial implantation of metal or plastic stent was 7 and 16.5 days, respectively (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Self-expanding metal stents have a longer patency than polyethylene stents. Additionally, the number of stent-associated hospital admissions and the total time of hospital stay were higher in the plastic stent group. The median survival time was not significantly different in both groups.
Weber
Andreas
A
Departments of Gastroenterology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Mittermeyer
Tobias
T
Wagenpfeil
Stefan
S
Schmid
Roland M
RM
Prinz
Christian
C