Venous Thromboembolism and Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour: A Rare Association

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) comprise 0.1-3% of all gastrointestinal malignancies and represent the majority of gastrointestinal mesenchymal neoplasms. The major cause of GIST is an abnormal form of tyrosine kinase protein. GISTs may arise anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, but are more commonly encountered in the stomach and small intestine. Gastrointestinal bleeding and abdominal pain are the most frequent symptoms associated with gastric GISTs. However, venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an uncommon presentation of these tumours. To the best of our knowledge, only 4 cases highlighting the association between these rare tumours and VTE have been reported in the literature to date. We herein report a case of a gastric GIST presenting with pulmonary embolism. Current guidelines recommend anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight heparin as first-line treatment for the acute phase of cancer-associated thrombosis. Prolonged anticoagulation should be considered for an indefinite time period, or until curative treatment. In the present case, tumour resection enabled a reduction in the duration of the anticoagulation treatment, thereby reducing the risk of long-term bleeding complications.