What Researchers Did
Researchers reported on a 60-year-old woman who developed an esophageal stricture after concurrent palliative radiation and targeted therapy, successfully treated with hyperbaric oxygen and dilation.
What They Found
A 60-year-old woman with metastatic renal cancer developed severe esophagitis and an esophageal stricture after receiving palliative radiation over a 2-week period concurrently with nivolumab and then cabozantinib. The stricture required a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube but was successfully managed with serial esophageal dilation and hyperbaric oxygen treatments.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients receiving palliative radiation alongside novel anti-PD-1 or multityrosine kinase inhibitors should be aware of the potential for accelerated radiation injury, such as esophageal stricture. This case suggests that hyperbaric oxygen and dilation may be an effective treatment option for such severe complications.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
As a single case report, the findings of this study are not generalizable to a broader patient population.