Prevalence and management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors

The prevalence and characteristics of patients with confirmed gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) in a community hospital over a 6-year period are described. Our objective was to communicate our experience managing this rare tumor of the gastrointestinal tract. A retrospective chart review was performed. Patients were selected based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes in correlation with their respective confirmational pathology. Patients with a diagnosis of GIST, cells of Cajal tumor, and/or different varieties of gastrointestinal sarcoma were included in this study. These tumors had to have a positive C-kit on immunohistochemistry. Demographic and clinical data were collected from medical records as well as pathology reports. Follow up from attendings' office records and telephone interviews complemented our data. A total of 61 patients was identified in our institution (averaging 10 patients per year). Females represented 63 per cent of our series. The average ages were 70.2 +/- 19.1 years for females and 59.4 +/- 13.5 years for males (P < 0.01). The most common clinical presentation was an intra-abdominal nonobstructing mass followed by an endoscopically detected mass or incidental tumors found during unrelated surgery. Surgical emergencies such as acute abdomen and gastrointestinal bleed were rare. Over half of these tumors were located in the stomach. Other sites were the small intestine, colon, esophagus, and rectal-vaginal septum. Opened surgical resection was performed in two-thirds of treated cases, whereas laparoscopic resection was done in the remainder. Only 18 per cent of these tumors were considered benign, whereas 35 per cent were considered to have some malignant potential and 47 per cent were of undetermined potential. In surgically resected tumors, we found a 42 per cent recurrence rate with a median average time of recurrence of 22 months. Pathologic grading and type of surgery were not predictors of rate and timing of recurrence. However, the disease tended to be more aggressive in white males and age older than 70 years. Imatinib was used mainly in attempts to downstage, control recurrent disease, and make surgery possible. With the improvement of immunohistochemical techniques, the diagnosis of GIST is increasing. Preoperative diagnosis is highly uncertain and dependent on clinical suspicion. Surgical resection is still the main form of curative therapy. Our experience is similar to large-volume centers. GIST, once recognized, can be treated in community hospitals without compromise of their care.