New protocol aims to plug deadly hole in esophageal cancer care

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Voluntary participation and provision of written informed consent. * Age between 18 and 75 years (inclusive). * Histologically confirmed diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. * Radiologically confirmed unresectable, advanced disease. * Newly diagnosed esophageal fistula (including tracheoesophageal fistula or mediastinal esophageal fistula). * Previous receipt of ≤ 3 lines of systemic anti-tumor therapy. * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 2. * Adequate organ and marrow function within 7 days prior to potential anti-tumor treatment, as defined by: * Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L * Platelet count ≥ 100 × 10⁹/L * Total bilirubin (TBIL) ≤ 1.5 × the upper limit of normal (ULN) * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 2.5 × ULN (or ≤ 5 × ULN in the presence of liver metastases) * Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 × ULN * Adequate cardiac, pulmonary, and renal function to be eligible for general anesthesia, with no contraindications to general anesthesia. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with postoperative anastomotic fistula. * Uncontrolled active bleeding. * Presence of a concurrent primary malignancy other than esophageal carcinoma. * Clinically significant cardiovascular disease, including but not limited to: * Heart failure (NYHA Class III-IV) * Uncontrolled coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, or arrhythmia * Uncontrolled hypertension * History of myocardial infarction within the past 1 year * Neurological or psychiatric disorders that impair cognitive ability, including the presence of central nervous system metastases. * Uncontrolled, active severe clinical infection ( \> Grade 2 per NCI-CTCAE version 5.0) within 14 days prior to enrollment, including active tuberculosis (this is a contraindication for anti-tumor therapy, not for interventional procedures). * Known or self-reported HIV infection, or active Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C. * A history of interstitial lung disease (e.g., interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis), or evidence of interstitial lung disease on baseline chest X-ray/CT.