Surgical treatment of gastric gist tumours – a single institute experience

Introduction: GIST tumours are mesenchymal tumours of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, immunohistochemically characterised by c-kit (CD117) positivity. At the time of diagnosis, most of them are in an advanced stage, forming a large mass, causing compression symptoms or bleeding due to secondary mucosal lesions. They are often occasionally diagnosed. Prognosis is obviously influenced by size, localization and grading by mitosis. Recent innovation in GIST chemotherapy using thyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib, has significantly improved survival. Methods: From 1996 to 2004 12 patients were operated on gastric GIS…