Optimal management options for esophageal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (E-GIST)

To explore the different treatment modalities for esophageal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (E-GIST) and their respective applicability and clinical outcomes.

This is a retrospective study in which consecutive patients diagnosed with E-GIST at our hospital from January 2017 to August 2023 were included. The clinical characteristics of all the patients as well as long-term quality of life were recorded and analyzed.

A total of 23 (12 males, 11 females) E-GIST patients with a mean age of 56.7 ± 12.0 years were included in this study. Common symptoms, including upper abdominal pain, acid reflux, and heartburn, accounted for over 60 % of cases. Fifteen patients underwent endoscopic resection, five patients underwent surgical resection, two patients underwent surgical resection after receiving preoperative imatinib therapy, and one patient received conservative management.

Different treatment strategies may be applied to the patients with E-GIST depending on the their clinical features. Our study provides insights into precise treatment for different patients. However, due to the rarity of the disease, it is challenging to collect a large sample size from a single center, necessitating more multicenter prospective large-scale studies.