Laparoscopic gastric wedge resection as the method of choice in the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors: A case report

Abstract

The gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most frequent mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. The surgery of resectable gastric GIST is the primary therapy for these tumors, but the decision regarding the surgical radicality of the procedures is still a point of discussion among surgeons and oncologists. A 74-year-old patient was admitted to hospital with signs of bleeding from the upper parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Urgent gastroscopy was performed and a subepithelial gastric lesion with bleeding ulceration was noted in the region of the fornix. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen showed a tumor in the fornix region with the dimensions of 48 x 32 mm, which was growing mostly intraluminally. After an adequate preoperative preparation the patient underwent a laparoscopic wedge resection of gastric fornix with intramural tumor lesion. The histopathological analysis of the specimen showed a well differentiated GIST (histological grade Gi), of the spindle cell type. Based on the immunohistochemical analysis of thespecimen it was concluded that the patient was in the IA stage of the disease with a low risk of malignant progression. In the population of patients with GIST, this is the most common group (43%), with low malignant potential, and relapses present in only 3.6% of cases.The patient started with oral food intake on the first postoperative day, the first bowel movement occurred 36 hours after surgery, and the patient was released from hospital on the fourth postoperative day. Based on the aforementioned, we consider that the laparoscopic gastric wedge resection is a safe and efficient surgical procedure. This is primary therapy for most common group of patients with resectable gastric GIST.