Unusual presentations, management and outcomes of gastric stromal tumors: a single-center case series

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are uncommon mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. This study explores the safety of laparoscopy and the long-term oncological outcome in gastroesophageal GIST treatment. METHODS: A prospectively maintained single-institution database was examined. The variables collected were patient demographics and comorbidities, surgical access (laparoscopic/open), type of surgery, length of stay, and complications. RESULTS: A total of 69 patients underwent GIST resection between January 2011 and June 2018, of whom 56.5% were male; the median age was 68 years (interquartile range 60-76). The majority of patients (78.3%, n=54/69) had a laparoscopic resection. Median length of stay was 6 days in the laparoscopic group and 9 days in the open group (P=0.003). Most patients had wedge excision (n=57/69, 82.6%), while 12 patients (17.4%) required a gastrectomy (one a Merendino type). All patients had an R0 resection and 1 patient (1.4%) had a recurrence, despite having a low-risk grade original tumor with negative margins. Patients in the open group had a significantly higher proportion of patients with a high-risk tumor (50%) compared to the laparoscopic group (3.7%, P=0.001). The mean survival was 92.7 months (95% confidence interval 86.3-99.2). Survival was better in the laparoscopic group (100.4 months) compared with the open group (55.1 months, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic gastric GIST resection is an oncologically safe alternative to open surgery and is associated with a shorter hospital stay with no difference in complication rates or recurrence rates.