An incidental finding of duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (dGIST): a case report

Duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (dGISTs) are rare mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, comprising only 4-5% of them. Usually they are presented with a longstanding history of an abdominal mass, blood in stools or obstruction symptoms. But in our case, the patient presented with a 10-day history of fever along with an abdominal swelling and is recovering well on imatinib therapy after surgery.

Here, we document a case of an unusual presentation of dGIST with a short history of fever and abdominal mass, which incidentally got diagnosed and treated with surgery and imatinib.

The presentation of dGIST with acute, nonspecific symptoms of fever and abdominal mass is unusual, which delays its diagnosis. Complete surgical resection with or without tyrosine kinase inhibitors remains the mainstay of curative treatment.

This case signifies the importance of considering dGIST even in patients with a short history of abdominal symptoms. Early diagnosis and surgical management helps in achieving favorable outcomes.