Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Is a feeding tube permanent? | CION Cancer Clinics
Usually not. In cancer care most feeding tubes are placed to get a person through treatment and are removed once swallowing is safe and enough is eaten by mouth. How long that takes depends on why the tube went in, and a smaller group keeps the tube long term. This page explains the usual patterns, how removal works, and what to ask your team. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Is a feeding tube permanent?
- How long does it usually stay, by the reason it went in?
- How a tube that is no longer needed comes out
- A tube for treatment and a tube for good, compared
- Words you will see, in plain language
- Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about whether a feeding tube is permanent
The short answer
Is a feeding tube permanent?
Usually not. In cancer care most feeding tubes are placed to get a person through treatment, and they are taken out once swallowing is safe and enough is being eaten by mouth. How long that takes depends on why the tube went in, and some people do keep it long term.
What decides how long it stays
The tube stays as long as the reason for it lasts. If it was placed for soreness during radiotherapy, it usually comes out in the months after treatment ends, once the throat has healed. If it was placed because a cancer blocks the food pipe, it stays until that blockage is treated. If swallowing has been permanently damaged by the cancer or by surgery, the tube may be needed for good.
Why nobody can give you an exact date
Recovery of swallowing varies from person to person, and the team can only judge it by checking you as you go. What they can usually tell you at the start is which group you are likely to be in: weeks, months, or long term. Ask for that, and ask what would move you from one group to another.
A tube that is no longer needed does not have to stay. If you are eating well and it has not been discussed, raise it.By reason
How long does it usually stay, by the reason it went in?
These are patterns, not promises. Your own team will tell you which fits you.
Radiotherapy to the head and neck
The throat is sore during treatment and for a while after. Most people return to eating over the months that follow, and the tube is removed once weight is steady on food by mouth. Some are left with lasting swallowing trouble and keep it longer.
After surgery to the mouth, jaw or food pipe
The tube covers healing, and often a period of swallowing therapy as the new anatomy is learned. Removal follows once the swallowing therapist is happy and intake is enough. This can be weeks or many months.
A cancer blocking the food pipe
The tube stays while the blockage is there. If treatment shrinks the tumour, or a stent or operation opens the way, eating can return and the tube can go. If the blockage cannot be removed, the tube stays.
Swallowing that is unsafe long term
Where nerves controlling the swallow are permanently affected, the tube protects the lungs and stays. This is the group for whom a gastrostomy is genuinely long term, and the team will say so plainly if it applies to you.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe way out
How a tube that is no longer needed comes out
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Swallowing is checked
The speech and swallowing therapist confirms that food and drink by mouth are safe. Nothing else starts until this is settled.
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Eating by mouth is built up
Meals by mouth increase and tube feeds are reduced in steps, with the dietitian watching weight. The tube is still flushed every day so it stays usable in case it is needed.
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A period on food alone
Once tube feeds have stopped, the team waits to see that weight holds on ordinary food for a stretch before removing anything. This is the step families are most tempted to rush.
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The tube is removed
Depending on the type, it is pulled out at the bedside, deflated and slipped out, or taken out with a camera. It is a short visit, not an operation, and most people go home the same day.
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The opening closes
The track between skin and stomach usually seals itself within days with a dressing over it. A small scar is left. If it keeps leaking, a minor procedure can close it.
Side by side
A tube for treatment and a tube for good, compared
Placed to get through treatment
Placed for long-term feeding
Aim is to return to eating by mouth
Aim is safe, reliable feeding for the long run
Swallowing practice continues throughout
Swallowing may be tested again from time to time
Removed once weight holds on food alone
Tube is changed on a schedule rather than removed
Family learns the routine for a season
Family builds it into daily life; a button tube is often offered
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On your clinic letter
Words you will see, in plain language
- Weaning
- Reducing tube feeds in steps as eating by mouth increases. It is planned with the dietitian, not done by simply skipping feeds.
- Tube dependence
- Still needing the tube for most nutrition a long time after treatment. It is a description of where things stand, not a judgement.
- Button or low-profile tube
- A short tube that sits almost flush with the skin, with an extension attached only at feeding time. Often offered to people keeping a tube long term.
- Tube change
- Swapping the tube for a new one through the same opening, done on a schedule for long-term tubes because the material wears.
Commonly believed
Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
"Once a tube is in, it never comes out."
In cancer care the majority of tubes are placed for a season of treatment and removed afterwards. Whether yours is one of those depends on why it went in. Ask the team which group they expect you to be in; they can usually say.
"If he eats well for a week, we can take it out ourselves."
Please do not. A tube pulled out at home can leave an internal disc behind, and taking it out before weight has held on food alone often means putting a new one in. Removal is a short clinic visit and it should be a clinic visit.
"Keeping the tube means she has stopped recovering."
Swallowing after head and neck treatment recovers slowly and unevenly. Keeping the tube while that happens is the sensible thing, not a sign of failure. Many people eat by mouth and use the tube for top-ups for a long stretch before it goes.
"A long-term tube means a life indoors."
People with long-term tubes work, travel and attend weddings. A button tube sits flat under clothes, feeds can be timed around the day, and blended home food is possible. The tube changes mealtimes, not the rest of life.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you how long your own tube will stay. That depends on the cancer, the treatment, how the swallow recovers and how weight holds, none of which a page can see. Your team can give you an honest estimate and update it as you go.
Who removal does not suit yet
It does not suit someone who is still losing weight, still coughing on drinks, or still in the middle of treatment that will make swallowing sore again. Taking a tube out too early is a common reason for a second placement, which nobody wants. It also does not suit a person whose swallow has been judged unsafe for the long term, where the tube is protecting the lungs.
What to ask at your next visit
Which group am I in: weeks, months or long term? What would need to be true for the tube to come out? Who checks my swallowing, and when? If it is long term, can I have a button tube, and how often is it changed? Write the answers down and bring the person who does the feeding at home.
If you have had the tube for a long time and no one has discussed removal, call the helpline and ask. It is a fair question.Questions we are asked
Common questions about whether a feeding tube is permanent
Can a PEG tube be removed?
Yes. Once swallowing is safe and weight has held on food by mouth, the tube is removed at a short clinic visit. Some types are pulled out at the bedside; others are taken out with a camera. The opening usually seals on its own.
How soon after radiotherapy does it usually come out?
It varies widely. The throat keeps healing for months after treatment ends, and eating returns gradually. Most people who are going to get back to eating do so in the months after treatment, and the tube goes once weight is steady. Your team will judge it by checking you, not by the calendar.
Does removing it hurt?
It is brief and uncomfortable rather than painful. Balloon tubes are simply deflated and slipped out. Disc tubes are either pulled firmly through the skin or removed with a camera, and the moment of pulling is felt as a tug. The site is a little sore for a day or two afterwards.
Will the hole close by itself?
Usually yes, within days, with a dry dressing over it. A small amount of leaking in the first day or two is normal. If it is still leaking after a couple of weeks, tell the team; a minor procedure can close it. A small scar remains.
My mother has had hers for a year. Is that too long?
Not necessarily. Some people need it that long, and some keep it for good. What matters is whether her swallowing has been rechecked recently and whether removal has been discussed. If it has not, ask for a swallowing review; the answer may be that it can come out, or a clear reason why not.
If it comes out too early, can it be put back?
Yes, but it means a new procedure, because the opening seals quickly. This is why the team waits until weight has held on food alone before removing it. Patience at that stage saves a second placement.
Do long-term tubes need to be changed?
Yes. The material wears, so long-term tubes are swapped on a schedule through the same opening, usually a quick visit with no sedation for balloon and button types. The team will tell you how often yours needs changing and where it is done.
Can we still eat by mouth while waiting for removal?
That is the whole point of the waiting period. Eating by mouth builds up while the tube is used less and less, until it is not used at all. Keep flushing it daily even when it is not in use, so it stays clear in case it is needed.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
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Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
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Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
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Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Diet problems with cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Nutrition in Cancer Care (PDQ) - Patient Version
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Impacts of cancer: eating and drinking
- NICE — Nutrition support for adults (CG32)
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Weaning off a feeding tubeThe step-by-step return to eating by mouthRemoving a feeding tubeWhat the removal visit involvesCan you still eat by mouth with a feeding tube?Eating alongside the tube while it is still inWho needs a feeding tube during cancer treatmentThe reasons a tube goes in, which decide how long it staysRecovery, eating and getting back to lifeEating after cancer surgery
Talk to us
Wondering whether the tube can come out?
Call the helpline or send us the latest clinic letter. A surgical oncologist will explain what would need to be true for removal and arrange a swallowing review if one is due.