Preventive surgery against aspiration for a patient with uncurable esophagus cancer

• Published in: jibi to rinsho Vol. 66; no. 3; pp. 68 - 73
• Main Authors: IWASAKI, Shin-ichi, SATO, Shintaro, SUZUKI, Motohiko, MURAKAMI, Shingo, TOYOTA, Kiichi, ESAKI, Shin-ichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: JIBI TO RINSHO KAI 20.05.2020; 耳鼻と臨床会
• Subjects: 担癌; 誤嚥防止手術; 食道癌; 鹿野式声門閉鎖術
• ISSN: 0447-7227; 2185-1034
• DOI: 10.11334/jibi.66.3_68

Aspiration pneumonia occurs in patients with severe neurodegenerative disease and neurovascular disease, as well as occurs in patients with head and neck cancer, esophagus cancer, and lung cancer. Preventive surgery against aspiration is usually performed for patients with severe neurological disease, but is rarely done for patients with untreatable cancer. We herein report a case of preventive surgery against aspiration for a patient with unresectable cancer. A 62-year-old man with stage IV esophagus cancer underwent esophageal-gastric bypass surgery to allow him to eat while avoiding obstruction due to the tumor mass. However, since the cancer had already induced bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, he always suffered from aspiration pneumonia. His repetitive pneumonia stopped after surgery with subglottic laryngeal closure. He was then able to eat food without any concerns regarding aspiration pneumonia. He ultimately died of esophageal cancer six months after undergoing preventive surgery. However, the patient's quality of life clearly improved after undergoing preventive surgery.