Interventional treatment is an effective approach to relieve symptoms in
patients with malignant tracheoesophageal fistula
Abstract
Background: A malignant tracheoesophageal fistula (mTEF)
is a complication of primary tumor growth or the recurrence of
esophageal tumors or lung carcinoma. Patients with mTEF have lower
survival and quality of life than those who do not develop this
complication. Esophageal cancer (EC), a common gastrointestinal
malignancy, ranks among the world’s leading causes of cancer-related
death. The low survival rate in patients with EC is attributed to
malnutrition, repeated aspiration, and severe infection, and the mean
survival duration of 2 to 4 months after diagnosis. This study
investigated the clinical characteristics of patients with EC
complicated with mTEF and the efficacy of various treatment regimens.
Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of the
clinical data of 51 patients with EC complicated with mTEF hospitalized
at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from February 2007 to May
2021. Patients were divided into three groups according to their
treatment regimen: a traditional medical (TM) treatment group, an
esophageal intervention (EI) treatment group, and an airway intervention
(AI) treatment group. Results: Of the 51 patients, 22
received TM treatment, 13 received AI, and 16 received EI. The overall
median survival duration was 87 days (TM group, 42 days; AI group, 108
days; EI group, 104 days) and the overall mean survival duration was
130.1 days (TM group, 88.1 days; AI group, 153.5 days; EI group, 166.1
days). Cox regression analysis revealed that the treatment regimen was
an independent predictive risk factor for increased survival 1 month
after treatment in patients with EC complicated with mTEF, and most
symptoms were relieved in the EI and TI groups.
Conclusions: Interventional treatment of the esophagus
and airway in patients with EC complicated with mTEF is an effective
approach to improve symptoms and increase short-term survival.