A gist on an obscure neoplasm in Ghana: gastrointestinal stromal tumours
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Date
2023
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BMC Publisher
Abstract
Background Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour is a rare but potentially curable tumour of the gastrointestinal tract
accounting for up to 1% of all gastrointestinal tumours. The discovery of Imatinib mesylate, a novel tyrosine kinase
inhibitor has improved the chances even for unresectable, recurrent, or metastatic diseases.
Methods This study sought to document the clinical and pathological characteristics of GISTs from two tertiary hos‑
pitals in Ghana that have undergone immunohistochemistry confrmation between 2014 and 2021.
Results The median age of the subjects was 50 years with most of them (28.0%) being above 61 years. There were
more females than males (64.0% vs. 36.0%). Abdominal mass and abdominal pain made up the majority of the clinical
presentations. The majority of the subjects had partial gastrectomy (32.0%) which was followed by wedge resec‑
tion (28.0%). Appendectomy and sleeve gastrectomy were the least performed procedures (8% each). Four of the 25
patients (16.0%) had resections of involved contiguous organs done with splenectomy being the most common
procedure. The majority of GISTs were found in the stomach (68.0%) followed by the appendix (12.0%) and small
bowel (12.0%). Gastrointestinal bleeding (55.8%) and abdominal pain (38.5%) were the most reported symptoms. Free
resection margins were observed in 84.0% of the subjects and only 3/25 (12.0%) experienced tumour recurrence.
Conclusion GIST is a potentially curable tumour that once was obscure but currently gaining popularity. Surgical
resection ofers the hope of a cure for localized disease while targeted therapies is a viable option for recurrent, meta‑
static, or unresectable tumours.
Description
This article is published by BMC Publisher and is also available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-023-06593-8
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Citation
BMC Research Notes (2023) 16:318