Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Disease

Diseases & Conditions

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Synonyms of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

GIST
GIST

Disorder Subdivisions

General Discussion
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) belong to a group of cancers known as soft tissue sarcomas. The number of new cases in the United States annually has been estimated to be 5,000-6,000. Tumors usually arise from the intestinal tract with the most common site being the stomach, followed by the small intestine, and the colon/rectum with rare cases arising in the esophagus. There are also tumors that appear to arise in the membranous tissue lining the wall of the stomach (peritoneum) or in a fold of such membranous tissue (the omentum). There are also case reports of tumors arising in the appendix and/or pancreas. These tumors most commonly present with abdominal pain, bleeding or signs of intestinal obstruction. They spread most commonly to sites within the abdominal cavity and to the liver, although there are rare cases of spread to the lungs and bone. GIST results from a change in one of two genes, KIT or PDGFR, which leads to continued growth and division of tumor cells. There are a few reported cases of families in which a gene mutation is inherited; however, the majority of tumors are sporadic and not inherited.

Treatment is with surgery. Patients who have disease that has spread are treated with surgery when possible and with imatinib mesylate (Gleevec, Glivec), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits the KIT or PDGFR responsible for tumor growth. Ongoing studies are testing to see if imatinib mesylate can delay or prevent recurrence of GIST after the tumor has been removed (resection). Standard chemotherapy is not effective for this type of sarcoma, with a less than 5% response rate. The role of imatinib mesylate in pediatric GIST is being studied at this time.

Organizations related to Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

American Cancer Society, Inc.
1599 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta GA 30329
Phone #: 404-320-3333
800 #: 800-227-2345
e-mail: N/A
Home page: http://www.cancer.org
BeatSarcoma
143 28th Street
San Francisco CA 94131
Phone #: 415-651-4473
800 #: N/A
e-mail: info@beatsarcoma.org
Home page: N/A
Cancer.Net
American Society of Clinical Oncology
Alexandria VA 22314
Phone #: 571-483-1780
800 #: 888-651-3038
e-mail: contactus@cancer.net
Home page: http://www.cancer.net/patient
Friends of Cancer Research
2231 Crystal Drive
Arlington VA 22202
Phone #: 703-302-1503
800 #: N/A
e-mail: info@focr.org
Home page: http://www.focr.org
GIST Cancer Research Fund
55 Saw Mill Road
New City NY 10956
Phone #: 845-634-6060
800 #: N/A
e-mail: tania5kids@aol.com
Home page: http://www.gistinfo.org
GIST Support International
12 Bomaca Drive
Doylestown PA 18901
Phone #: 215-340-9374
800 #: N/A
e-mail: gsi@gistsupport.org
Home page: http://www.gistsupport.org
Lance Armstrong Foundation
PO Box 161550
Austin TX 78716-1150
Phone #: 512-236-8820
800 #: 866-235-7205
e-mail: N/A
Home page: http://www.livestrong.org
Life Raft Group
40 Galesi Drive
Wayne NJ 07470
Phone #: 972-837-9092
800 #: --
e-mail: LifeRaft@liferaftgroup.org
Home page: http://www.LifeRaftGroup.org
National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Blvd, MSC 8322, Room 3036A
Bethesda MD 20892-8322
Phone #: 301-435-3848
800 #: 800-422-6237
e-mail: N/A
Home page: http://www.cancer.gov
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
1010 Wayne Avenue
Silver Spring MD 20910-5600
Phone #: 301-650-9127
800 #: 877-622-7937
e-mail: infor@canceradvocacy.org
Home page: http://
OncoLink: The University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center Resource
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia PA 19104-4283
Phone #: 215-349-5445
800 #: --
e-mail: editors@oncolink.upenn.edu
Home page: http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu
Rare Cancer Alliance
1649 North Pacana Way
Green Valley AZ 85614
Phone #: 520-625-5495
800 #: --
e-mail: sharon.lane@rare-cancer.org
Home page: http://www.rare-cancer.org
Sarcoma Alliance
775 E. Blithedale #334
Mill Valley CA 94941
Phone #: 415-381-7236
800 #: --
e-mail: info@sarcomaalliance.org
Home page: http://www.sarcomaalliance.org
Sarcoma Foundation of America
9884 Main Street
Damascus MD 20872
Phone #: 301-253-8687
800 #: --
e-mail: info@curesarcoma.org
Home page: http://www.curesarcoma.org
Wellness Community
919 18th Street N.W.
Washington DC 20006
Phone #: 202-659-9709
800 #: 888-793-9355
e-mail: help@thewellnesscommunity.org
Home page: http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ? (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html