Gastrointestinal stromal malignancy arises from which of the following -
Smooth muscle
Nerve cells
Interstitial cells of Cajal
Vascular Endothelium
"Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal, which controls gastrointestinal peristalsis."

On rare occasions, gastric GISTs occur as part of tumor - syndrome, such as :-


Carney's trads → Gastric GIST, Paraganglioma and pulmonary chondroma.
Neurofibromatosis Type I


Histologically, GISTs can be divided into


Spindle types → Exhibit spindle cells
Epithelioid types → Exhibit epithelioid cells
Mixed types → A mixture of both