Gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the stomach: two case reports

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors, commonly known as GISTs, are non-epithelial gastrointestinal neoplasms seen with increasing frequency in clinical practice. These tumors were formerly classified as leiomyoblastomas or leiomyosarcomas. Recent advances in immunohistochemistry have identified gastrointestinal stromal tumors as a unique entity. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are unique in that these neoplasms originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal, the pacemaker cells of the gastrointestinal tract. The initial events that lead to unregulated smooth muscle proliferation are unclear. Recent advances may elucidate the genetic mutations responsible. With the recent advances in cell histochemistry and gene mapping there is renewed interest in the early diagnosis and treatment of GI stromal tumors. As our understanding of GI stromal tumors improves, clinicians now must recognize GIST as a neoplasm with its own biology and treatment algorithms. The purpose of this paper is to present two cases and review recent literature to gain a better understanding of how to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors in clinical practice.