Role of Esophageal Metal Stents Placement and Combination Therapy in Inoperable Esophageal Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

More than 50% of patients with esophageal cancer already have inoperable disease at the time of diagnosis. Controversy surrounds the outcomes of patients with advanced esophageal cancer who receive palliative care by either stent alone or stent plus an additional modality. We set out to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing the use of metal stents as treatment options for symptomatic improvement, survival, and adverse events.