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Clinical Differences May Exist in Multiple vs Single GISTs
Findings from a retrospective analysis suggest the clinical features and treatment approaches for multiple gastrointestinal stromal tumors (MGISTs) may differ from single GISTs, presenting a gap in the treatment landscape (World J Gastroenterol. 2020;26[47]:7550-7567).
“[MGISTs] are a very rare type of [GIST] and are usually observed in syndrome,” explained Chen Li, MD, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China, and co-investigators on the need to describe clinical and oncologic features of MGISTs for proper diagnosis and informed treatment decisions.
Researchers retrospectively evaluated data of patients with MGISTs from 2008 to 2019 at Peking University People’s Hospital and combined the data with results of an extensive literature search.
A total of 12 patients with MGISTS and 43 published records were included in the data analysis. The combined data showed that a large proportion of the total patient population was female (59.30%), syndromic GIST (63.95%), and young (14.45%) patients.
Tumors were mainly located in the small intestine (58.92%) and were generally positive for both CD117 and CD34.
The estimated median overall survival duration was 11.5 years, after a mean 78.32 month follow-up period. This was determined to be similar to OS for single GISTs. Recurrence-free survival was poorer.
“The clinical and oncological features are potentially different between MGISTs and single GIST,” Dr Li stated, concluding that further studies are needed to explore appropriate surgical approach and adjuvant therapy.—Kaitlyn Manasterski
