[Our experiences with surgical treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors]

Stromal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract are rare neoplasms, but they are the most common ones of mesenchymal origin. In a large proportion of patients clinical onset is represented by surgical emergencies. Incidence of GIST is calculated to be 10-20 cases per million per year. GISTs account for 0.1-3% of all gastrointestinal tumors, up to 20% of small bowel malignancies. At least 30-70% of the cases are malignant.

We summary our experiences of surgical treatment of GIST, apropos of five patients handled at our department in 2003. There were 3 male, 2 female, 55.8 years. The 5 patients had altogether 21 operations. Diagnosis was recognized before op. in three cases.

In one case the tumor was inoperable, in one other technical operable, but oncologically not complete. In another case recurrence is known, and in one dissemination was observed during operation. There is only one case of fives, where we can hope, that a tumor-free situation had been left. Diagnosis was confirmed in every case with CD117 strain.

Surgery remains the standard treatment for GISTs. Disease recurrence is quite common, the rate is 65-75%, even when surgery is performed with intent to cure. In a surgical emergency or in the absence of a perioperative diagnosis, the surgeon is responsible for recognizing and treating these tumors. The benefit of surgical exercises for recurrent disease is unclear. In our opinion it is worth operating these cases, because in some cases amazing survival can be available.