Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2024 Aug 27;16(8):e67898.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.67898. eCollection 2024 Aug.

Rectal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour: A Report of a Rare Case and Literature Review

Satyanarayana Kummari  1 , Sairam Subburam  2 , Sree Raksha Chokkalingam  3 , Pushpahaas Jamalapuram  4 , Mahipal Rangi  5
Affiliations
Case Reports

Rectal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour: A Report of a Rare Case and Literature Review

Satyanarayana Kummari et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs), are an extremely uncommon form of different types of gastrointestinal (GI) malignant neoplasms. While GISTs are the most prevalent type of mesenchymal tumours in the GI tract, they are mainly located in the stomach. Gastrointestinal stromal tumours in the rectum are rarely observed. Some individuals may exhibit symptoms such as constipation, pain in the rectum, bleeding per rectum, or palpable growth, while others may be discovered incidentally. The prevalence of GISTs has been increasing, potentially as a result of developments in imaging techniques. In the present case report, we describe a 47-year-old male patient who initially complained of pain in the lower abdomen, rectum, and occasional constipation. A contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) scan revealed a well-defined hypodense, enhancing lesion with a small calcified area at its periphery in the rectum. The lesion caused a significant luminal narrowing of the rectum. During colonoscopy, a mass located in the submucosal region was identified on the side of the rectal wall, approximately 1 cm away from the anus. After performing the biopsy, the specimen was subjected to histological examination, which revealed a spindle cell tumour with a mild cellular appearance. This finding was in line with the diagnosis of a GIST located in the rectum. The purpose of the current case report is to highlight the significance of CT, colonoscopy, and biopsy in promptly identifying rare GISTs in the colon and rectum, emphasising the uncommon occurrence of GISTs along with their typical locations and imaging features.

Keywords: cect abdomen; gastrointestinal stromal tumor (gist); gastrointestinal tumor (gist); rectal gist; colonoscopy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. NCCT and CECT scans of the abdomen and pelvis
(A) NCCT axial view; (B) axial view; (C) coronal view; and (D) sagittal view of the CECT scans of the abdomen and pelvis show a well-defined hypodense, enhancing lesion with a small peripheral calcification in the rectum (white arrows). The lesion caused a significant luminal narrowing of the rectum. NCCT: non-contrast CT, CECT: contrast-enhanced CT
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors: an up-to-date literature review. El-Menyar A, Mekkodathil A, Al-Thani H. J Cancer Res Ther. 2017;13:889–900. - PubMed
    1. Management of rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Kameyama H, Kanda T, Tajima Y, et al. Transl Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018;3:8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) Joensuu H. Ann Oncol. 2006;17 Suppl 10:0–6. - PubMed
    1. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: a multidisciplinary challenge. Sanchez-Hidalgo JM, Duran-Martinez M, Molero-Payan R, et al. World J Gastroenterol. 2018;24:1925–1941. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors-a mini review. Gheorghe G, Bacalbasa N, Ceobanu G, et al. J Pers Med. 2021;11:694. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources