Metastasectomy for gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common sarcoma of the intestinal tract. Improvements in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of GIST have resulted in novel treatment strategies combining surgery with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Metastasectomy in carefully selected patients who have stable or responsive disease on imatinib should be considered in the multidisciplinary setting. We review existing data on surgical cytoreduction in metastatic GIST while on targeted therapy and compare outcomes with either treatment alone.