Published online Jan 25, 2016. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v8.i2.77
Peer-review started: April 4, 2015
First decision: June 2, 2015
Revised: August 11, 2015
Accepted: October 17, 2015
Article in press: October 28, 2015
Published online: January 25, 2016
Biliary stenting is clinically effective in relieving both malignant and non-malignant obstructions. However, there are high failure rates associated with tumor ingrowth and epithelial overgrowth as well as internally from biofilm development and subsequent clogging. Within the last decade, the use of prophylactic drug eluting stents as a means to reduce stent failure has been investigated. In this review we provide an overview of the current research on drug eluting biliary stents. While there is limited human trial data regarding the clinical benefit of drug eluting biliary stents in preventing stent obstruction, recent research suggests promise regarding their safety and potential efficacy.
Core tip: Despite the short life expectancies of patients with biliary tract cancers, biliary stenting suffers from high stent re-obstruction rates, provoking unneeded costs, morbidity and mortality. Drug eluting stents offer the possibility of decreasing stent failure rates from both biliary stent clogging, and external obstruction from tumor and epithelial ingrowth. In this inclusive review we outline the current body of experimental literature on drug eluting stents including bench, animal and human trials, and discuss possible targets for future research.