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Overview
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are fairly rare tumors of the digestive tract.
GISTs are different from other more common cancers of the digestive tract (such as colon cancer), in large part because they are thought to first develop in specific types of cells called stroma cells found in the wall of the digestive tract. GISTs usually grow in the stomach or the small intestine but can also develop in almost any section of the digestive tract including the colon, rectum and esophagus.
“Small” GISTs are generally benign, especially when the growth of the cancer cells is slow. However, as the gastrointestinal stromal tumor grows, some of the cancer cells may enter the bloodstream and spread to other parts of the body (metastasize) and new tumors may then develop in other organs in the body. The liver is the most common site where this disease spreads followed by the abdominal cavity.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of GISTs are abdominal discomfort or pain and bleeding into the intestinal tract. The bleeding may show up as dark or black bowel movements, and sometimes a person will vomit blood. Bleeding may lead to anemia (low red blood cell counts), which can cause a person to feel fatigued and have shortness of breath.
Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and weight loss are also possible signs and symptoms of the disease. Tumors in the esophagus can cause problems with swallowing. In some cases a person may feel a growth in his or her abdomen.
In some individuals, a tumor growing into the intestine may cause a blockage. This is an emergency situation, called intestinal obstruction, that causes severe abdominal pain and vomiting.
Small GISTs may actually cause no symptoms and can be found incidentally when the doctor is looking for another healthcare problem with the patient.
Diagnosis
GIST may be suspected from its appearance in imaging procedures such as CT scans, but the diagnosis can only be made by examining tumor tissue from a biopsy, or from the entire tumor after it has been surgically removed. A pathologist will diagnose the type of tumor by assessing the characteristics of the cancer cells viewed under a microscope. The pathologist will also give his/her opinion regarding the prognosis based on the tests results.
Determining Treatment Options
The treatment for GIST depends on a number of different factors, including the patient’s general health and the size and position of the cancer. The results of the tests mentioned above will enable your doctor to discuss with you the best treatment option for your disease.
Treatments
The most common treatment option is surgery, which may be a cure for patients with small tumors. Larger tumors are, however, less likely to be completely removed. If the GIST has spread to other organs in the body, it is sometimes possible to remove these other cancers as well. Chemotherapy and radiation treatment do not seem to be very effective for GIST, and researchers have been looking for other types of treatment options for the disease.
Biogen Idec Investigational Treatments
- Clinical trials—using investigational treatments may be discussed as a possible treatment option for some patients, depending on the specific requirements of the different trials and the patient’s cancer stage and disease status. Click here to learn more about clinical trials. About Clinical Trials
Currently, Biogen Idec is conducting clinical trials in this disease.
For more information, click here.
To contact Biogen, click here.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Resources
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14515284
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/gastrointestinal-stromal-tumors
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