Colorectal stenting: an advanced approach to malignant colorectal obstruction

Some colorectal cancer (CRC) patients present symptoms of bowel obstruction, which is considered a surgical emergency. Because of poor medical condition and high incidence of post-surgical complications, there has been increasing use of self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) for the purpose of palliation or as a bridge to surgery with some benefits, including shorter hospital stays, lower rates of adverse events, and one-stage surgery. However, with increasing survival of CRC patients, there have been controversial data on clinical outcomes and complications, compared between SEMS use and surgery for treatment of malignant bowel obstruction. We review recent clinical data on clinical outcomes of SEMS use compared to surgery, including complications.