GASTROINTESTINAL STROMAL TUMOR: SINGLE-CENTER EXPERIENCE WITH REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

BULENT CALIK¹, GULDEN DINIZ²

¹Department of General Surgery, Saglik Bilimleri University Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey - ²Department of Pathology, Saglik Bilimleri University Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey

Objective: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the commonest mesenchymal tumors and these tumors stand for 0.2% of all gastrointestinal tumors. This study aimed to present the pathological and histological features, our clinical practice with surgical treatment, and the outcomes of GIST diagnosed in our center.

Materials and methods: A retrospective study of 48 consecutive patients with GIST treated at our institution from June 2008 to September 2015 was performed. Information regarding age, gender, tumor location, size, procedure performed, postoperative complications, and long-term follow-up were collected from the patient charts. Immunohistochemistry studies were performed to corroborate the diagnosis. The mitotic count was performed on 50 HPFs (50 consecutive high-power fields), with a wide-field ocular microscope.

Results: The most common primary site was stomach in 18 patients, followed by small intestine in 15. Among the study group, four patients presented with recurrent disease either isolated recurrence or metastasis. Surgery was performed in all patients. Three patients had a R2 resection and the rest of the patients had tumor-free margins (R0 resection). In our cohort we had 13 patients who received adjuvant imatinib. A variety of surgical procedures was performed. The tumor size varied from 0.8 to 22 cm. The mean follow-up period was 54.0±1.4 months. During the follow-up period, four patients had recurrence. One patient had metastasis during the follow-up. Six patients died due to GIST, four patients died due to other disease.

Conclusion: This study highlights the changing presentation and treatment approach, as well as the outcomes achievable for GIST tumors. These results are valuable for understanding the clinical and pathological characteristics of patients with GIST, who are diagnosed, treated and followed up in Turkey.