title: Self-expanding metal stents versus polyethylene stents for palliative treatment in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Gastroenterology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mittermeyer
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wagenpfeil
authors.forename: Roland M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prinz