Spray freezing offers quick swallow relief for esophageal cancer patients
NCT ID NCT02606396
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tested whether spray cryotherapy (freezing the tumor from inside the esophagus) can quickly improve swallowing in 15 patients with advanced esophageal cancer who were about to start chemotherapy and radiation. The goal was to ease difficulty swallowing sooner than standard treatment alone. Patients received cryotherapy during a routine endoscopy, and their symptoms were checked by phone 2 and 4 weeks later.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- spray cryotherapy (freezing the tumor from inside the esophagus using an endoscope)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a fast way to ease trouble swallowing in patients with advanced esophageal cancer while they wait for chemotherapy and radiation to take effect.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 15 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The improvement might be minor or temporary, and there are risks from the endoscopy and freezing procedure.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Center for Advanced Medicine
St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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