help button home button The Oncologist http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/subscriptions/etoc.dtl
HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Oncologist, Vol. 12, No. 4, 438-442, April 2007; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.12-4-438
© 2007 AlphaMed Press

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow eLetters: Submit a response to this article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article link to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Reprints/Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Jamali, F. R.
Right arrow Articles by Soweid, A. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Jamali, F. R.
Right arrow Articles by Soweid, A. M.

Gastrointestinal Cancer

Disease Progression Following Imatinib Failure in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: Role of Surgical Therapy

Faek R. Jamalia, Sophie S. Darwichea, Nizar El-Kingea, Ayman Tawilb, Assaad M. Soweidc

Departments of aSurgery, bPathology, and cInternal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon

Key Words. Imatinib mesylate • Tyrosine kinase inhibitor • Gastrointestinal stromal tumor • Gastrointestinal bleeding Palliative resection • Surgical resection • GIST

Correspondence: Correspondence: Faek R. Jamali, M.D., F.A.C.S., American University of Beirut Medical Center, P.O. Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon. Telephone: 961-3750954; Fax: 961-1363291; e-mail: fj03{at}aub.edu.lb

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) represent the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the GI tract. The optimal management of GISTs has been evolving rapidly over the past 5 years and depends on proper histopathologic and radiologic diagnosis as well as appropriate multidisciplinary medical and surgical treatments. Complete surgical resection of primary localized GIST with negative margins remains the best therapeutic option today. In the setting of locally advanced or metastatic disease, imatinib mesylate has emerged as the initial treatment of choice, administered either as cytoreductive or as definitive treatment. Surgery or ablative modalities in this setting are becoming increasingly employed, particularly when all disease becomes amenable to gross resection or destruction, or to manage complications arising from the disease following imatinib failure.

We report on the surgical management of an unusual and clinically significant complication following progression of disease secondary to imatinib resistance. The role of surgical therapy in the management of GIST complications following resistance to imatinib and the integration of surgical and molecular therapy of locally advanced or metastatic GISTs are discussed.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.






HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE ONCOLOGIST STEM CELLS CME ALPHAMED PRESS JOURNALS
http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/misc/eLetters.shtml

Copyright © 2007 by AlphaMed Press.