Diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors: An up-to-date literature review

Abstract

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare life-threatening forms of cancer that may arise anywhere in the GI tract. Herein, we aimed to review the literature to describe the incidence, management, and outcomes of GISTs. We conducted a traditional narrative review using PubMed and EMBASE, searching for English-language publications for GISTs between January 2001 and January 2016 using keywords ""gastrointestinal" "stromal tumors." Among 4582 retrieved articles, 50 articles were relevant over the last 15 years. Several risk stratification systems exist to predict the outcomes of GISTs based on certain criteria such as the primary site of occurrence, size of the tumor, mitotic activity, staining for proliferating cells, and tumor necrosis. Risk stratification is crucial in the management and outcomes of the disease. Surgical resection remains the gold standard option of GISTs treatment. Complete resection of the tumor is the main predictor of the postoperative patient's survival. Laparoscopic resections are associated with less intraoperative blood loss, early return of bowel function, early resumption of diet, and short hospital stay. However, laparoscopy is difficult to perform in large and unfavorably placed GISTs and may result in disease progression, recurrence, and poor survival. Robot-assisted laparoscopic resections provide instruments for surgeons to perform technically demanding operations. Moreover, extensive research work including large clinical trials is ongoing to establish promising role of the adjuvant and neo-adjuvant therapy for better disease- free survival in GIST patients.