Clinicopathologic and Surgical Characteristics Study of 151 Cases of GIST

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most appearing mesenchymal tumor of the gastrointestinal system. In this study, we are aiming to share the most up to date knowledge about diagnosis and treatment of these tumors by transferring our clinical experience about GISTs.

The 151 patients who were operated between 2006-2020 and whose pathological examination was reported as GIST were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic, clinical, and pathological features and treatment methods of patients were evaluated.

Seeventy-six of the patients were women and 75 of them were men whose age averages were 66.1 (31-86). The most common location was the stomach (55.6%), followed by the small intestine, retroperitoneal, large intestine, rectum, esophagus, and another organ. With surgical intervention, 139 of them had been cured. Twelve of cases were accepted as inoperable. The diameter of tumors in our cases were between 0.4 cm and 35 cm. Determined mitotic activity was ≤ 5 in 71 patients and 5 < in 80 patients. In 8 of 12 unresectable cases, it has been seen that partial remission after the treatment of 12-month tyrosine kinase inhibitors, C-KIT, was positive in 96.7% of our cases. CD34 and Ki-67 was analyzed in patients. CD34 was found positive in 98 (64.9%) of them, Ki-67 was positive in 82 (54.3%) patients. Patients had been observed for 40 months.

Despite GISTs are not appearing frequently, nowadays they have started to be seen more frequently than before with the growing present-day diagnostic methods. The ideal treatment is performing radical resection without leaving any tumor cells behind. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have an important place in unresectable cases.