Abstract

Introduction: Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) was first described by Santiago Ramón y Cajal. It originates from the nerve cells that bear his name, “Cajal” cells, which function as pacemakers within the intestine. GIST represents 3% of all gastrointestinal tract tumors but accounts for 80% of gastrointestinal sarcomas.

Materials and methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted on patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) from January 2016 to December 2021 at the Instituto de Cancerology and Dr. Bernardo del Valle S Hospital (INCAN), Guatemala City – Guatemala. Tumor staging was performed using the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition classification from 2017. The objective was to characterize the primary site of involvement of GIST tumors.

Results: The mean age was 60.83 years, with a predominance of female patients (69.2%). The most common tumor location was the stomach (61.5%). All patients underwent laparotomy, and the most frequently reported symptom was abdominal pain (69.2%). The mean tumor size was 12.38 cm, with the majority being larger than 5 cm (92.3%) and high-grade (69.2%). During surgery, 15.4% of the tumors were advanced. Partial/atypical gastrectomy was performed in 30.8% of cases. Postoperative complications occurred in 23.1% of patients, with positive margins in 15.4%. Additionally, 15.4% experienced recurrence and progression to the lungs and liver. Imatinib was administered in 38.5% of cases.

Keywords

gastrointestinal stromal tumor, GIST