Adjuvant imatinib treatment improves recurrence-free survival in patients with high-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST)

• Palliative imatinib treatment has dramatically improved survival in patients with malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumours, particularly in patients with tumours harbouring activating KIT mutations. To evaluate the effectiveness of adjuvant imatinib after radical surgery, a consecutive series of patients with high-risk tumours (n=23) was compared with historic controls (n=48) who were treated with surgery alone. The mean follow-up period was over 3 years in both groups. Only 1 out of 23 patients (4%) in the adjuvant treatment group developed recurrent disease compared to 32 out of 48 patients (67%) in the control group. This preliminary study indicates that 1 year of adjuvant treatment with imatinib dramatically improves recurrence-free survival. Confirmation of these findings awaits the results of ongoing randomised studies.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Cancer och onkologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cancer and Oncology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Adult

Aged

Aged

80 and over

Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use

Chemotherapy

Adjuvant

Disease-Free Survival

Female

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors/diagnosis/*drug therapy/genetics/surgery

Humans

Ki-67 Antigen/genetics

Male

Middle Aged

Pilot Projects

Piperazines/*therapeutic use

Prognosis

Pyrimidines/*therapeutic use

Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics

Recurrence

Risk Factors

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)