Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GISTs), Surgical Management and Clinical Outcome

Introduction: This study investigated the incidence, surgical managementand outcome of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) in Upper Egypt. Methods: Aretrospective review of all GIST patients admitted a South Egypt CancerInstitute between Jan. 2010 and Dec. 2015 was conducted. Patients’demographics, clinical presentation, tumor characteristics, radiological,pathological and immunohistochemical findings, surgical procedures, recurrenceand mortality were recorded. Results: A total of 36 GIST patients wereidentified, stomach was the most common site (27.8%) followed by the smallintestine (19.4%) and the large intestine (16.7%). The mean age at time ofdiagnosis as 52.8 ± 14.4 (rangedfrom 17 to 76 years). Of these 36 cases, 20 (55.6%) cases were males and 16 (44.4%) cases were females with aratio of 1.2:1. About 22 cases (61.1%) presented with primary tumors, eightcases (22.2%) had primary tumors and metastases, three cases (8.35) presentedwith recurrent mass, whereas one case (2.2%) presented either with recurrentmass and metastases or metastases only. The majority of cases (22) had tumorsizeu003e5 cm. Patients were stratified as high, intermediate, low and very low risk(50.6%, 30.6%, 11.1% and 2.8%, respectively). Almost all the cases weresurgically managed and 75% were completely resectable. During follow up (average26.5 months), 22 patients showed complete recovery, 7 had recurrent ormetastatic disease and 2 died due to livermetastasis. Conclusion:The incidence of GIST in Upper Egypt is apparently low. Surgical resection isthe preferred choice of treatment. The demographic data of GIST patients in South Egypt Cancer institute weresimilar to those published in the literature.Other prospective studies are required to assess the prognosis and the effectof treatment.