Gastrointestinal stromal tumor

From ArticleWorld

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors, known as GISTs, are rare forms of non-epithelial gastric tumors that occur very rarely. These tumors occur most frequently in the bowels, small intestines, and esophagus. Symptoms of GIST have a hard time swallowing, gastric hemorrhage, and cancer that has spread to the liver. Usually the cancer is large by the time it is discovered. Diagnosis is made upon performing an endoscopy or surgery and doing a biopsy. CT scans and blood tests are often used for diagnostic purposes, also.

Incidence and therapy

GIST happens in about 10-20 people per million. Only one out of four GIST is actually malignant. As methods of detection improve, more GISTs may be discovered. Small GISTs are usually removed, and require no further treatment. As in other cancers, early detection is important. When a cancerous area is discovered early, it has less chance of recurring or spreading. Larger GISTs tend to recur. Chemotherapy was not very effective until the drug imatinib came out. This drug was originally marketed for leukemia, and now provides a 40-70% success rate in inoperable GISTs, as opposed to <5% in previous treatments. New drugs, such as sunitinib, are still being developed to fight gastrointestinal stroma tumors, giving cancer patients a hopeful outlook for the future.