digestive disorders
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors
Introduction
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are rare cancers that start in specific cells in the wall of the digestive tract. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are sarcomas (cancerous tumors of connective tissue) that develop from mesenchymal precursor cells within the wall of the Throat and Esophagus , Most GISTs are caused by a mutation in a gene calledC-KITthat controls the growth of cells, and some are caused by a mutation in a gene calledPDGFRBthat provides instructions for making a certain protein. GISTs may develop in people with a genetic syndrome. One common syndrome is Neurofibromatosis . About half of these tumors occur in the stomach, some occur in the Small Intestine , and a small percentage occurs in the esophagus, The average age at diagnosis is 50 to 60. People who have had radiation therapy to the abdomen for the treatment of other tumors can develop gastrointestinal stromal tumors at a later time. These tumors usually grow slowly, but some can grow more rapidly and spread to other sites (metastasize). 