Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: pathogenesis and current treatment

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are of mesenchymal origin, occurring at any point in the gastrointestinal tract. These tumors are becoming more commonplace either because of an increase in incidence or improved methods of diagnosis and screening. Clinical diagnosis has proved quite difficult because of an extensive array of potential patient presentations. Treatment should not be delayed and involves surgical resection of the tumor. In cases such as metastatic or inoperable tumors, imatinib mesylate, which acts specifically on the growth factor receptor of this tumor, has been used with documented improvement. Imatinib mesylate has been shown to decrease the density of tumor cells without causing inflammation or necrosis. Current studies are evaluating the usefulness of adjuvant therapy after primary surgical resection.