Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
When a stent blocks or slips out of place | CION Cancer Clinics
When a stent placed for cancer blocks or moves, the symptoms it relieved usually return: trouble swallowing, jaundice, a swollen belly, side pain or breathlessness. Fever with shivering can mean infection. Most blocked or slipped stents can be cleared, replaced or added to. This page explains the warning signs for each stent, why they happen, and when to go to hospital the same day. 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
- What happens when a stent blocks or moves?
- Why do stents stop working?
- What signs should you watch for with each type of stent?
- What usually happens when you come in with a stent problem?
- What do families often assume when a stent fails?
- When might another stent not be the right answer?
- Common questions about stent blockage and migration
The short answer
What happens when a stent blocks or moves?
When a stent blocks or slips out of place, the symptoms it was put in to relieve usually come back. Most blocked or moved stents can be cleared, repositioned, replaced or added to, often through the same kind of procedure used to place them.
Why this happens at all
A stent sits inside a living tube next to a tumour that may still be growing. Over weeks and months, tumour can grow into the mesh or past its ends. Food, thick bile or crystals from urine can build up inside. A stent can also be pushed along by the normal squeezing of the gut, especially once treatment shrinks the tumour that was holding it in place. None of this means the stent was badly placed.
Why acting early matters
A blocked bile stent can cause a serious infection. A blocked bowel stent can lead to a burst bowel. A slipped airway stent can make breathing hard very quickly. Recognising the signs early, and knowing who to call, turns most of these into a planned repeat procedure instead of an emergency.
Keep the procedure note naming your stent type and date in your phone and in your wallet.
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Go to hospital the same day
If someone with a stent has fever with shivering, new yellowing of the eyes or skin, a hard swollen belly with no stool or wind, severe pain, vomiting that will not stop, sudden breathlessness or noisy breathing, or cannot swallow their own saliva, go to the nearest emergency department. Say what stent they have and when it was placed. Do not wait for the clinic appointment.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhat goes wrong
Why do stents stop working?
Your team names the cause from a scan or camera test. It decides what they do next.
Tumour growing in
Cancer grows through the gaps in an uncovered mesh, narrowing the stent from inside. It tends to happen gradually, so symptoms creep back over weeks.
Usual fix
- A second stent placed inside the first
- Burning or freezing tissue through a camera
Tumour growing past the ends
The cancer extends above or below the stent, so the blockage moves beyond it. A longer or additional stent may bridge the new narrowing.
Food, sludge or crystals
A lump of food in a food pipe stent, thick bile in a bile stent, or crystals in a ureteric stent. Symptoms can come on suddenly.
Usual fix
- Clearing or flushing through a camera
- Changing a plastic or ureteric stent
Slipping out of place
More common with covered stents and after treatment has shrunk the tumour. The stent may move up, down, or pass out in the stool.
A stent passed in the stool still needs a call to your team.Know your stent
What signs should you watch for with each type of stent?
Stent
Signs it may be blocked or moved
Food pipe
Food sticking again, bringing food back up, new chest pain
Bile duct
Yellow eyes, dark urine, pale stool, itching, fever with shivering
Large bowel
Swollen belly, cramps, no stool or wind, vomiting
Ureter (DJ stent)
Pain in the side or back, fever, very little urine
Airway
Breathlessness returning, noisy breathing, thick sputum that will not clear
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At the hospital
What usually happens when you come in with a stent problem?
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Assessment and first treatment
The team checks breathing, blood pressure, temperature and fluids. If there is infection, antibiotics and a drip usually start straight away, before any procedure.
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Blood tests and a scan
Blood tests look at infection, kidney and liver function. An X-ray or CT scan shows where the stent is and whether it has blocked or moved.
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A decision on the fix
The team chooses between clearing the stent, placing another one, taking it out, or putting in a drain through the skin. They weigh your fitness and your wider treatment plan, and should explain the choice to you and your family.
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The repeat procedure
Usually done through a camera or under X-ray, in the same way as the first stent. Sedation or anaesthesia is used as before.
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Going home with a plan
Before you leave, ask what caused the problem, whether it is likely to happen again, and exactly who to call next time.
Commonly believed
What do families often assume when a stent fails?
"The stent failed, so the first procedure was done wrong."
Blockage and slipping are known problems with every type of stent, even when it was placed well. The tumour, the body and the treatment all change around the stent over time. It is reasonable to ask what caused it, and a good team will explain.
"A slight fever with a bile stent can wait until Monday."
Fever with shivering in someone with a bile stent can mean infection behind a blockage. That can become serious within hours. It needs a hospital the same day, whatever the day of the week.
"If it blocked once, it cannot be fixed again."
Many people have a stent cleared or a second one placed, sometimes more than once. There are limits, and the team will explain if they think a repeat procedure would not help.
"We should just stop eating so the food pipe stent does not block."
Stopping food leads to weakness and weight loss. Changing how you eat, with soft moist food and drinks at every meal, prevents most food blockages without giving up eating.
Being straight with you
When might another stent not be the right answer?
Not every stent problem is solved with another stent. The team looks at the whole picture, and sometimes they suggest a different route or a gentler approach.
Other options the team may discuss
For a bile duct, a drain through the skin over the liver can relieve jaundice if a camera cannot reach the blockage. For the food pipe, a feeding tube into the stomach may give steadier nutrition than repeated stents. For the bowel, an operation to bring the bowel out as a stoma may last longer. For the ureter, a tube placed directly into the kidney through the back is sometimes used.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you how likely your stent is to block, when that might happen, or which fix suits you. When someone is very unwell, the family may also face a harder question about whether any procedure is wanted. There is no single right answer. Ask the team to explain each option, including the option of focusing on comfort, and take the time you need.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about stent blockage and migration
How do I know if my stent is blocked?
The symptoms that led to the stent usually come back. Swallowing gets harder, jaundice returns, the belly swells with no stool, the side aches with little urine, or breathlessness returns. Fever with shivering is also a warning sign. Call your team the same day if you notice any of these.
Can a blocked stent be cleared without replacing it?
Sometimes. Food in a food pipe stent or sludge in a bile stent can often be cleared through a camera. Tumour growing in usually needs a second stent inside the first, or treatment to the tissue. Plastic and ureteric stents are usually simply changed.
What happens if a stent passes out in the stool?
This can happen with bowel and some food pipe stents. Keep it if you can, and call your team. They will want to know whether the old blockage has returned and whether a new stent or another approach is needed. If the belly swells or you vomit, go to hospital.
Is a stent that has moved dangerous?
It can be. A slipped stent may stop relieving the blockage, press on another area or, rarely, damage the wall of the gut or airway. Some slipped stents cause no trouble and are removed as a planned procedure. The team decides after a scan or camera test.
Does a blocked stent mean the cancer is growing?
Not always. Food, sludge and crystals can block a stent without any change in the cancer. Tumour growing into or past the stent is one possible cause. The camera test or scan usually shows which, and your oncologist can explain what it means for your wider treatment.
Can I prevent my stent from blocking?
You can lower some risks. With a food pipe stent, eat soft moist food with drinks. With a ureteric stent, drink enough fluid and keep the change dates. With a bile stent, keep follow-up blood tests. Tumour growth cannot be prevented this way, so knowing the signs matters most.
Can the repeat procedure be done where I live?
It depends on the stent and the facilities near you. Many district hospitals can manage the first steps, such as fluids and antibiotics, and arrange transfer. Keep your stent details and your team's number with you, so the local hospital can speak to them directly.
Does insurance or Aarogyasri cover a repeat stent procedure?
Often, when it is part of ongoing cancer care. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and many cashless insurance plans may cover the procedure and a new stent. Cover rules differ, so call the helpline with your card or policy details and we will check what applies.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
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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
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Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
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Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Oesophageal cancer treatment
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Treatments and drugs
- American Cancer Society — Treating pancreatic cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Definition of stent
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.
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Think a stent may have stopped working?
If the signs are severe, go to the nearest emergency department first. Otherwise, tell us what is happening and we will help you reach the right specialist. One helpline serves every CION centre.