Efficacy and safety of chemotherapy after endoscopic double stenting for malignant duodenal and biliary obstructions in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: a single-institution retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND: Advanced pancreatic cancer is accompanied not only by bile duct obstruction, but also occasionally by duodenal obstruction. With new advances in chemotherapy and improvement in the management of stent dysfunction, the life expectancy of patients with pancreatic cancer has increased. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer, as well as to analyze the prognostic factors, following endoscopic double stenting. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted from January 1, 2007 to October 31, 2015 at an academic center. Fifty consecutive patients with pancreatic cancer who had undergone endoscopic double stenting, comprising duodenal and biliary stenting, were analyzed. We reviewed the patients records and analyzed the data of stent dysfunction rates after double stenting, reintervention for stent dysfunction, chemotherapy after double stenting, adverse events associated with chemotherapy after double stenting, survival times following double stenting, and overall survival times. The hospital’s institutional review board for human research approved this study. RESULTS: The overall survival time and the survival time following double stenting were 10.9 months (IQR 6.0–18.4 months) and 2.4 months (IQR 1.4–5.2 months), respectively. After double stenting, duodenal stent dysfunction occurred in 6 patients (12%), and biliary stent dysfunction occurred in 12 patients (24%), respectively. All patients who experienced stent dysfunction underwent endoscopic reintervention, and all of the procedures were successful. Twenty-one (42%) patients were treated with chemotherapy post double stenting; 9 patients received chemotherapy as a first-line treatment, 9 as a second-line treatment, and 3 as a third-line treatment. During chemotherapy, 8 (38%) patients had grade 3–4 adverse events, which were manageable. Chemotherapy post double stenting (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.059–0.60; P = .0051), reintervention for biliary stent dysfunction (OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.081–0.50; P = .0002), and performance status (< 2) (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.098–0.71; P = .0064) were significant prognostic factors after double stenting. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic chemotherapy was manageable, even in patients with double stenting. Chemotherapy after double stenting and appropriate reintervention for stent obstructions potentially prolonged the survival of patients with advance pancreatic cancer.