Disease Information for Gastrontestinal Stromal/Mesenchymal Tumor (GIST)

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract; GISTs can also originate in the mesentery and omentum; Overall, GISTs are rare and rank a distant third in prevalence behind adenocarcinomas and lymphomas among the histologic types of gastrointestinal tract tumors; Historically, these lesions were classified as leiomyomas or leiomyosarcomas because they possessed smooth muscle features when examined under light microscopy; Since the term GIST was introduced by Mazur and Clark in 1983, laboratory investigations aimed at the subcellular and molecular levels have demonstrated that GISTs do not possess the ultrastructural and immunohistochemical features characteristic of smooth muscle differentiation, as are seen in leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas; Subset of smooth muscle sarcomas;Rather

GISTs is a pluripotential mesenchymal stem cell programmed to differentiate into the interstitial cell of Cajal; These are GI pacemaker cells and are largely responsible for initiating and coordinating GI motility; GI pacemaker cell tumors; GISTs can occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract; They are submucosal lesions, which most frequently grow endophytically in parallel with the lumen of the affected structure; Approximately 50-70% originate in the stomach; The small intestine 20-30% ;colon and rectum (5-15%) and esophagus (<5%); Primary omental or mesenteric GISTs have been reported but are very rare; Outcomes in patients with GIST depends clinical presentation and the histopathological features of the tumor; The overall 5-year survival rate ranges from 28-60%; Race: GISTs have no known racial proclivity; Sex: Slightly more males; Age Usually patient is , 55-65 y; ; rarer in younger adults but extremely uncommon in children;rare 10-20/million;

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