T. V. Haridas
BACKGROUND
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GISTs) represent only 0.1-3% of all Gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies and account for 80% of gastrointestinal mesenchymal neoplasms. They range from incidentally detected asymptomatic GISTs to large malignant tumours. Three key prognostic factors have been mitotic rate, tumour size and site. Immunohistochemical testing for KIT (CD 117) and sometimes for DOG1 is essential in confirming the diagnosis.
The aim of the study is to bring forward the varied clinical presentation and our single centre experience for management and therapeutic outcome of GIST.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
15 patients with primary GIST diagnosed over a 3-year period from 2013 to 2016 were studied clinically and histopathologically; the treatment procedures and outcome were analysed.
RESULTS
The mean age of patients was 51.5yrs. with a male-female ratio of 2:1, abdomen pain (80%) was the most common symptom, stomach the most common site (60%), 95% of cases were CD 117 positive. Surgery was considered in 90% of patients and two cases were given neo-adjuvant therapy with imatinib.
CONCLUSION
GIST are the most common mesenchymal tumours of the gastrointestinal tract with an increasing incidence. They have a varied clinical presentation depending on the tumour location, size and growth pattern. The gold standard for treatment is surgical resection. Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is the primary therapy for unresectable, recurrent or metastatic disease.
