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Review
. 2022 Dec 19;14(24):6268.
doi: 10.3390/cancers14246268.

Best Supportive Care of the Patient with Oesophageal Cancer

Rita Carrilho Pichel  1 , Alexandra Araújo  1 , Vital Da Silva Domingues  2   3 , Jorge Nunes Santos  3   4 , Elga Freire  2   3   5 , Ana Sofia Mendes  1 , Raquel Romão  1 , António Araújo  1   3   6
Affiliations
Review

Best Supportive Care of the Patient with Oesophageal Cancer

Rita Carrilho Pichel et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Oesophageal cancer patients have poor survival, and most are unfit for curative or systemic palliative treatment. This article aims to review the best supportive care for oesophageal cancer, focusing on the management of its most frequent or distinctive symptoms and complications.

Methods: Evidence-based review on palliative supportive care of oesophageal cancer, based on Pubmed search for relevant clinical practice guidelines, reviews and original articles, with additional records collected from related articles suggestions, references and societies recommendations.

Results: We identified 1075 records, from which we screened 138 records that were related to oesophageal cancer supportive care, complemented with 48 additional records, finally including 60 records. This review summarizes the management of oesophageal cancer-related main problems, including dysphagia, malnutrition, pain, nausea and vomiting, fistula and bleeding. In recent years, several treatments have been developed, while optimal management is not yet standardized.

Conclusion: This review contributes toward improving supportive care and decision making for oesophageal cancer patients, presenting updated summary recommendations for each of their main symptoms. A robust body of evidence is still lacking, and the best supportive care decisions should be individualized and shared.

Keywords: dysphagia; malnutrition; oesophageal cancer; oesophageal fistula; palliative supportive care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of selection of relevant evidence-based information on palliative supportive care of oesophageal cancer. * PubMed search heading: ((supportive care) OR (palliative)) AND ((oesophag *) OR (esophag *)) AND ((cancer) OR (carcinoma)), last executed on 25 August 2022.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Oesophageal fistula. (a) Tracheo-oesophageal fistula (arrow) associated with pneumonia and lung abscess (*) (b) Squamous carcinoma of cervical oesophagus complicated with pneumomediastinum (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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