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Updated: May 13, 2026

Robotic Duodenal Sleeve Resection for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor with Rare Exon 8 KIT Mutation Following Neoadjuvant Imatinib
Published on: April 3, 2026
Molecular analysis of the KIT gene in gastrointestinal stromal tumors with novel mutations
Gizem Calibasi1, Yasemin Baskin, Hakan Alyuruk
1*Department of Basic Oncology, Institute of Oncology, Dokuz Eylul University †Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences ‡Department of Chemistry, Division of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Kaynaklar Campus Departments of §Medical Oncology ∥Pathology ¶Surgery, Faculty of Medicine #Department of Preventive Oncology, Institute of Oncology, Inciralti, Izmir-Turkey.
Abstract:
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. KIT gene mutations have great importance for GISTs. This study evaluated the relationship between KIT mutations and GIST clinicopathologic features to define region-specific and population-specific differences. Genomic DNA was extracted from 60 GISTs, and polymerase chain reaction was performed for KIT gene exons 9, 11, 13, and 17. Polymerase chain reaction amplicons were sequenced in both directions. This study represents the first mutation data of the KIT gene in GISTs from a Turkish population and reports novel mutations. The mutation rate in exon 11 (46.7%) was remarkably higher than those of the other exons (8.3% for exon 9; 11.7% for exon 13; 1.7% for exon 17). There was an association between malignancy potential and the presence of KIT mutations (odds ratio=3.18). Cases with mutations in codons W557-K558 in exon 11 had 11-fold greater risk of malignancy when compared with those without a mutation in this exon (odds ratio=11). We report different mutations than those previously reported, which emphasizes the importance of personalized medicine that could be empowered by the use of bioinformatics tools in the diagnostic process and therapeutic approaches.

