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<Articles JournalTitle="Basic &amp; Clinical Cancer Research">
  <Article>
    <Journal>
      <PublisherName>Tehran University of Medical Sciences</PublisherName>
      <JournalTitle>Basic &amp; Clinical Cancer Research</JournalTitle>
      <Issn>2228-6527</Issn>
      <Volume>13</Volume>
      <Issue>4</Issue>
      <PubDate PubStatus="epublish">
        <Year>2022</Year>
        <Month>10</Month>
        <Day>22</Day>
      </PubDate>
    </Journal>
    <title locale="en_US">Enigma of Esophageal - Respiratory Fistula in Advanced Esophageal Cancer</title>
    <FirstPage>239</FirstPage>
    <LastPage>244</LastPage>
    <AuthorList>
      <Author>
        <FirstName>Sheeba</FirstName>
        <LastName>Bhardwaj</LastName>
        <affiliation locale="en_US">Pandit B D Sharma Post Graduate Institution of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana, India</affiliation>
      </Author>
      <Author>
        <FirstName>Vivek</FirstName>
        <LastName>Kaushal</LastName>
        <affiliation locale="en_US">Pandit B D Sharma Post Graduate Institution of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana, India</affiliation>
      </Author>
      <Author>
        <FirstName>Diptajit</FirstName>
        <LastName>Paul</LastName>
        <affiliation locale="en_US">Pandit B D Sharma Post Graduate Institution of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana, India</affiliation>
      </Author>
    </AuthorList>
    <History>
      <PubDate PubStatus="received">
        <Year>2022</Year>
        <Month>04</Month>
        <Day>12</Day>
      </PubDate>
      <PubDate PubStatus="accepted">
        <Year>2022</Year>
        <Month>09</Month>
        <Day>07</Day>
      </PubDate>
    </History>
    <abstract locale="en_US">Background: The incidence of malignant esophageal-respiratory fistulas in esophageal&#xA0;cancer patients is not so frequent. The fistula development in esophageal cancer&#xA0;may be due to advanced disease or a radiotherapy-related complication. Rarely, a pulmonary&#xA0;abscess may develop, which is the most dreadful complication resulting in&#xA0;dismal outcomes. Here, we reported 2-cases of esophageal-respiratory fistula; one with
esophageal bronchial fistula and the other with esophageal pleural fistula.&#xA0;
Case reports: A 46-year-aged man presented with complaints of difficulty in swallowing&#xA0;for 4 months. CECT chest showed an esophageal growth of 8.5 cm in the lower&#xA0;esophagus. The patient received palliative radiotherapy followed by palliative chemotherapy&#xA0;and showed some improvement in dysphagia.
Nine months after the start of treatment, the patient&#x2019;s dysphagia began to worsen, and he&#xA0;was put on oral metronomic chemotherapy. After 1-year of metronomic chemotherapy,&#xA0;the patient developed cough and chest pain and was diagnosed with an esophageal-pleural&#xA0;fistula with chest wall collection and pleural effusion. The patient was managed conservatively&#xA0;and later lost to follow-up. Another 65-year-old patient presented with dysphagia&#xA0;for 3-months. CECT chest showed an esophageal growth of 5.5 cm in the middle esophagus.
The patient received palliative radiotherapy, after which the dysphagia improved. In&#xA0;3rd month of follow up patient&#x2019;s dysphagia worsened; barium swallow showed esophageal-&#xA0;bronchial fistula. The patient was managed symptomatically and later lost to follow-up.
Conclusions: Fistula formation and subsequent abscess results in a poor prognosis.With advancing disease and compromised general condition of the patient, palliation&#xA0;of symptoms is a significant challenge. Treatment becomes difficult due to the rare&#xA0;occurrence of fistulas and the non-standardization of the treatment protocol. Invasive&#xA0;treatment includes esophageal-pulmonary resection, endoscopic placement of self-expandable
covered stents, drainage of empyema and obliteration of empyema cavity,&#xA0;esophageal diversion, and non-invasive treatment includes best supportive care. However,&#xA0;even with appropriate treatment, the outcome is dismal.</abstract>
    <web_url>https://bccr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/bccrj/article/view/426</web_url>
  </Article>
</Articles>
