Endoscopic palliation of esophageal malignancy

Historically, the development and marketing of the neodymium-yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser was associated with the insertion of markedly fewer conventional prostheses for the palliation of malignant dysphagia. Subsequently, the introduction of self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) has, in turn, led to a diminished role not only for laser therapy but also for other ablative modalities, including bipolar cautery, argon plasma coagulation (APC), and the injection of caustics. Two ablative modalities deserve ongoing consideration, but not because they have been proven to be better or more cost-effective than SEMS. These include photodynamic therapy (PDT), because of its potential to ablate large areas of low-grade malignancy, and injection of chemotherapeutic agents or T-lymphocytes sensitized to an individual malignancy. The latter, while theoretically promising, will require considerably more study before widespread clinical application.