To the Editor: For patients with advanced oesophageal carcinoma, palliation of debilitating symptoms such as dysphagia and odynophagia is important for improving quality of life.1 Owing to the possibility of complications, it is generally recommended that stents be used as a palliative measure when expected survival is less than 3 months.2 We analysed linked records from the NSW Central Cancer Registry, the NSW Admitted Patient Data Collection, NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages death registrations data and Australian Bureau of Statistics mortality data to investigate the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and palliation of advanced (stage IV) oesophageal carcinoma symptoms by stent insertion in urban-dwelling patients in New South Wales, from July 2001 to December 2007. The study was approved by the NSW Population and Health Services Research Ethics Committee.
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- 1. Whistance RN, Blazeby JM. Systematic review: quality of life after treatment for upper gastrointestinal cancer. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care 2011; 5: 37-46.
- 2. Siersema P D. Treatment options for esophageal strictures. Nat Clin Pract Gastroenterol Hepatol 2008; 5: 142-152.
- 3. Woods LM, Rachet B, Coleman MP. Origins of socio-economic inequalities in cancer survival: a review. Ann Oncol 2006; 17: 5-19.
- 4. Ahmed N, Bestall JC, Ahmedzai SH, et al. Systematic review of the problems and issues of accessing specialist palliative care by patients, carers and health and social care professionals. Palliat Med 2004; 18: 525-542.
- 5. Johnson C, Girgis A, Paul C, et al. Australian palliative care providers’ perceptions and experiences of the barriers and facilitators to palliative care provision. Support Care Cancer 2011; 19: 343-351.
No relevant disclosures.