Hello Ian,
There's an irinotecan mongraph here
<http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/HPI/DrugDatabase/DrugIndexPro/Irinotecan1of2/default.htm>

It's in adobe acrobat format. It's best I don't open it at this time, until I
close other windows.
Adobe's tend to drag my computer resources down (too low); so I'm not sure if it
shows expected side efects; immediate, late (etc) as other monographs, on that
website show.

Are you referring to stents that go down the esophagus?
Or a gastrostomy? Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG tube)?
On the one hand, I've heard that they (can) get overgrown with the cancer, then
can't be removed.
And can be very painful and patients wishing they'd never had one put in.
Patients aspirating their gastrostomy feeds and asphixating from that.
That would be in hospice, so not something that surgeons might be aware of or
warn of.
Too unwell to remain upright during and after the feed until the stomach has
emptied and asphixating on feeds.

On the other hand, I've heard from a radiation oncologist, that some form of
radiation therapy can be used to reduce the size of the overgrowth, but at that
point, the question becomes is the patient well enough to undergo radiation
therapy and expected to live long enough to warrant the distress of transporting
a patient for such treatment.  Or too unwell (or advanced) to withstand the
risks of surgery to try to remove it and what that would accomplish, since the
tumor would probably automatically close over the opening.

Then I've just seen, on web pages, stents are sometimes placed to open the
esophagus, which closed due to scarring from radiation therapy and another which
seemed to imply that RT can cause a thickening and hence tightening of the stent
causing pain.

http://www.ercp.ucla.edu/pages/info/procedures/stents.html
This web page has a section on stents, which, in part, says that "Therefore,
dietary modification will always be necessary to prevent obstruction of the
stent and complications such as pneumonia due to aspiration of food and saliva
from the esophagus into the windpipe with resultant pneumonia. The most common
scenario where perforation has been observed is when there esophageal stent
placement is combined with radiation therapy of the esophagus."
So, I wonder if there's any benefit at all to wondering if there's short term
benefit, but major problems in the long run.

Please don't rely on me. What do the EC list people say?  I hope the loved ones
of those who've passed are honest about the pros and cons.

Although predicting what will grow where (I expect) is difficult, if it was I or
a loved one, I'd ask for a round table of sorts with oncologist and radiation
oncologist and surgeon (who know the existing locations), discussing what's
available in your country and the adviseability of...then get the point of view
(or experiences) of MacMillan nurses in your area.

I'm not an expert; just giving you some food for thought and perhaps things to
ask about.
J

Ian,
I'm looking at your post again.
I thought "GOO" was a typing error for "good", but I see on your other posts,
you also mentioned "goo".
Sounds like your wife has mucus producing cancer.
Unfortunately, gastric cancers are not been especially sensitive to chemos.
The longest we had someone here was fred, his mother, similar, she had multiple
surgeries and was at one point, producing lots of mucus, bringing it up. (he was
here for a little over a year).
After the mucous started coming up, she was getting her nutrition by IV.
Within a month of that she got pneumonia, and passed away 2 or 3 months later.

If I'm understanding you correctly mucous is collecting in your wife's stomach
and you're wanting her to eat more. If her stomach is filling with mucous, she
won't be hungry.

Joe's brother passed away rather quickly. It might be too painful for him to
enter this conversation and his brother lived further away from him, so probably
doesn't have all the details.

Time's ticking by and might be at a premium for quality, since your wife was
diagnosed in January..
I really feel you should have a frank discussion with your wife's doctors on how
they think things will go and guide you on options.  There's a limit to what
newsgroups can provide as to information, when the doctors have all the
pertinent information. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
Keep in touch and let us know how you're both doing.
J

Hello Ian,
You must be handy in the kitchen.
That mousse sounds delicious.
How's it going and any progress about stent?
J