B-ENT

Metastases to the abdominal wall after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in patients with head and neck cancer: four case reports

1.

Department of General Medical Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, UZ Leuven, and Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium

2.

Department of Oncology, Radiation-Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, University Hospitals Leuven

3.

Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and Department of Oncology, Section Head and Neck Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

4.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospitals Leuven.

B-ENT 2018; 14: 239-243
Read: 676 Downloads: 520 Published: 28 January 2020

Metastases to the abdominal wall after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in patients with head and neck cancer: four case reports. A percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is often inserted to prevent excessive weight loss in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing locoregional treatment. The pull-through technique is commonly used, although it involves direct contact with the tumour and therefore some risk of development of metastases at the gastrostomy site. We present four cases with different presentations of this rare complication. Clinicians should have high suspicion of abdominal wall metastases when problems occur at the ostomy site and should readily perform a biopsy to establish an early diagnosis. Alternative strategies to prevent malnutrition during primary treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck should be considered when the risk of tumour seeding is high.

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EISSN 2684-4907