TY - JOUR TI - Gastrointestinal stromal tumours: Clinical overview, surgery and recent advances in imatinib mesylate therapy AU - Samelis, G. F. AU - Ekmektzoglou, K. A. AU - Zografos, G. C. JO - EJSO PY - 2007 VL - 33 TODO - 8 SP - 942-950 PB - Elsevier Sci Ltd, Exeter, United Kingdom SN - null TODO - 10.1016/j.ejso.2006.11.025 TODO - gastrointestinal stromal tumour; GIST; surgery; imatinib TODO - Airns: To review the clinical features of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs), the role of surgery and its principles and molecular targeted therapies. Methods: A Medline-based literature search on relevant topics was performed in PubMed for key articles concerning the clinical features, biology and the novel strategies in the management, whether surgical and/or pharmaceutical, of gastrointestinal stromal tumours. Some information was obtained from Proceedings of the American Society for Clinical Oncology published recently. Results: Surgical resection, the first-line intervention for operable GISTs, was historically the only effective treatment. For residual, metastatic and/or inoperable disease, treatment options remain under intense and continuous scrutiny. However, their molecular genetics, i.e. the mutations of the genes coding for KIT or platelet-derived growth factor receptor or,, two receptor tyrosine kinases, have been targeted for therapeutic intervention by imatinib mesylate-a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Conclusion: Treatment of GISTs with imatinib has led to dramatic improvements in progress ion-free and overall survival, thereby rendering its use in the preoperative and postoperative treatment under intense investigation. New investigational agents are being developed and participation in promising clinical trials remains a standard of care. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ER -