Diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of pancreatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of pancreatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Methods We reported a case and reviewed the medical literature on pancreatic malignant GIST. We searched the Pubmed and main domestic database. The clinical data of the reported cases were studied, and their predictive factors for postoperative recurrence and metastasis were analyzed. Results Between January 1980 and July 2010, 16 cases of pancreatic GIST were reported. There were 7 males and 9 females, with a median age pf 56.5 (31-72)years. The clinical symptoms were nonspecific. The main presentation was upper abdominal pain or discomfort. A preoperative diagnosis was suspected on radiological examination. The tumor mainly appeared as a well-defined solid-cystic mass. Irregular enhancement appeared in the circumferential and solid portion of the tumor on enhanced CT scan sequences. The pancreatic and biliary ducts were rarely dilated. Endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration cytology (EUS-FNA) was helpful in preoperative diagnosis. Of the 15 surgical patients, 14 underwent complete resection, while the remaining received cyst-jejunostomy. A correct diagnosis was made on histopathology and immunohisto-chemistry. On a mean follow up of 21 months (range, 1-60) in 14 patients, all patients were alive.Recurrence or metastasis occurred in 4 patients with tumors of high malignant potential. On univariate analysis, the only significant predictor for adverse outcome was mitoses≥10/50 HPF. Conclusions Pancreatic GIST is a rare tumor of relatively low malignant potential. It has a better prognosis than ductal adenocarcinoma. It is important to arrive at a correct diagnosis and treat the tumor with radical resection. Aggressive surgical resection is potentially curative. Imatinib is recommended in the treatment of patients with tumors with high malignant potential. Key words: Pancreatic neoplasm; Gastrointestinal stromal tumor; Diagnosis; Therapy