Long-term outcome of palliative therapy for gastric outlet obstruction caused by unresectable gastric cancer in patients with good performance status: endoscopic stenting versus surgery

Background: In patients with gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) caused by gastric cancer, choosing between self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement and gastrojejunostomy (GJJ) is of concern, especially in those with good performance status. Objective: To compare SEMS placement and GJJ. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Single tertiary referral center. Patients: Patients with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2 who had GOO caused by unresectable gastric cancer. Interventions: SEMS placement and GJJ. Main Outcome Measurements: Success rate, adverse events, patency, and survival duration. Results: Of the 113 patients in this study, 72 underwent SEMS placement and 41 underwent GJJ. The 2 groups did not differ in the technical and clinical success and incidence of early adverse events. However, the rate of late adverse events was significantly higher in the SEMS group (44.4% vs 12.2%; P < .001). The median patency duration was shorter after SEMS placement than after GJJ (125 days vs 282 days; P = .001), even after additional SEMS placement (210 days vs 282 days; P = .044). The median survival was also significantly shorter after SEMS placement than after GJJ (189 days vs 293 days; P = .003). Survival differed between treatments in patients with ECOG 0-1 (P = .006) but not in those with an ECOG performance status of 2 (P = .208). Limitations: Retrospective and single-center study. Conclusions: GJJ is preferable to SEMS placement for the palliation of GOO caused by unresectable or metastatic gastric cancer in patients with a good performance status, especially ECOG 0-1.