Gallbladder GIST: A review of literature

Mesenchymal tumors of the gallbladder are rarely encountered in clinical practice. The Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) of the gallbladder is rarely encountered. These tumors most commonly arise from the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), the pacemakers of the intestinal system. There can be benign as well as malignant forms of GIST. The literature on GIST arising from the gallbladder wall is limited to a few case reports only. In extensive search of the indexed literature, only 9 cases of gallbladder GIST were retrieved. Based on the available literature these tumors are commonly found in females. They usually present with hypochondrial pain with or without other features of cholangitis. These tumors are usually malignant and warrant a radical surgical excision. The data on postoperative adjuvant therapy and survival is limited. The authors presented a review of the available literature on this rare pathology.