Utility and safety of the self‐expandable metallic colonic stent in Japanese patients who received systemic chemotherapy or palliative treatment for obstructive primary advanced colorectal cancer: A retrospective single‐center medical chart evaluation

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The present study aimed to compare the utility and safety of the colonic self‐expandable metallic stent between patients with obstructive primary colorectal cancer who underwent chemotherapy or palliative treatment care and patients bridging for surgery. METHODS: The cases of 71 patients with colonic obstructive stenosis and in‐dwelling stents who were hospitalized between May 2012 and April 2020 at Karatsu Red Cross Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were classified into three groups: bridging for curative surgery (group I), receiving systemic chemotherapy (group II‐A), and receiving only palliative treatment (group II‐B). Technical and clinical success rates and complication rates after stenting were evaluated. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in the technical (procedure) success rates (group I: 100%; group II, 97.6% [II‐A: 100%; II‐B: 95.8%]). The total clinical success rate was 85.9% (61/71) and did not vary significantly among the groups (group I: 82.8%; group II 88.0% [II‐A: 83.3%; II‐B: 91.6%]). No significant differences were observed in the early complication rates between groups I and II and in the late complication rates between groups II‐A and II‐B. Nutrition status, general condition, tumor staging, and 1‐year survival were poorer in group II than in group I. CONCLUSION: The findings show that colonic stenting for malignant obstruction was performed successfully and safely both in patients who received systemic chemotherapy or palliative therapy and in patients bridging for curative surgery, regardless of risk status for malnutrition, poor general condition, cancer stage progression, and short survival.