Περίληψη:
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.
Συγγραφείς:
Samelis, G. F.
Ekmektzoglou, K. A.
Zografos, G. C.
