Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors of Small Intestine

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is defined as mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract expressing proto-oncogene protein CD117. They are the most common sarcomatous tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. GISTs are presumed to arise from interstitial cells of Cajal or gastrointestinal pacemaker cells which control gut motility. They have unpredictable biological behavior. Prognosis is dependent on tumor size as well as mitotic count. Radical surgical excision is the treatment of choice. They rarely metastasize to lymph nodes. Imatinib therapy is used as an adjuvant therapy. The follow-up of patients postsurgery is not standardized.