Primary gastrointestinal stromal tumors: Current advances in diagnostic biomarkers, prognostic factors and management of its duodenal location

Safety and efficacy of surgical and endoscopic resection in the treatment of duodenal subepithelial lesions

BACKGROUND

Duodenal subepithelial lesions (D-SELs) are rare and their resection is challenging. Unfortunately, data on surgical and endoscopic resection of D-SELs are scarce. This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of surgical resection and endoscopic resection (ER) for D-SELs.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of patients with non-ampullary D-SELs who underwent ER or surgery and compared the outcomes between ER and surgery with no/low-risk SELs over 15 mm from March 2010 to August 2020. Clinicopathologic findings, procedure-related parameters, and follow-up data were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 107 patients (108 lesions) were enrolled; 52 patients (53 lesions) received ER and 55 patients (55 lesions) received surgery. In ER group, en bloc resection rate and R0 resection rate were 94 and 89%, respectively. Major adverse events rate was 6%. One (2%) patient experienced local recurrence. In surgery group, R0 resection was achieved in all cases. Major adverse events rate was 20%. Recurrence rate and distant metastases rate were 4 and 8%, respectively. One (2%) patient died from septicemia during follow-up. Thirty-three patients in each group were enrolled in the comparison. There were no significant differences in age, sex, lesion size and location (P > 0.05). More histologically GISTs and muscularis propria-originated lesions were treated by surgery (P < 0.05). ER was significantly associated with a shorter operation time, shorter hospital stay, lower cost, less estimated blood loss, and lower major adverse events rate compared to the surgery group (P < 0.05). However, R0 resection rate, mortality, recurrence rate, and metastases rate were not significant different (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

ER is an effective and safe treatment modality for selected patients with non-ampullary D-SELs by expert endoscopists. Surgery is a radical method for D-SELs that should be reserved for D-SELs not amenable to ER.

Clinical comparative analysis of various duodenal diseases in different age groups

BACKGROUND/AIMS

This study aimed to investigate the differences and relevance of various common duodenal diseases in different parts in the aspects of age, gender, helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, application of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), smoking, or alcohol consumption.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The medical records of various duodenal diseases were collected and tested for difference using the χ2 test or the Fisher exact probability method.

RESULTS

1) The proportions of duodenal ulcer (DU), inflammation, and duodenal bulb diseases in the adult group (A) (47.98%, 36.70%, and 66.63%) were higher than those in the elderly group (E) (41.38%, 29.83%, and 56.82%), but the proportions of duodenal diverticulum (DD) and tumor diseases in the descending and ascending segments (2.95%, 1.43%, 9.14%, and 0.14%) were lower than those in group E (13.73%, 3.69%, 19.41%, and 0.76%) (p<0.001). 2) The positive rate of H. pylori (63.64%) in the duodenal bulb diseases was higher than that in the bulb-descending segment (53.75%), but the application rate of NSAIDs (16.44%) in the duodenal bulb-descending diseases was lower than that in the descending segment (24.81%) (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

1) DU, inflammation, and duodenal bulb diseases are common in adults, but DD and tumor diseases in the descending and ascending segments are more common in the elderly. 2) Compared with the duodenal bulb-descending diseases, the application of NSAIDs has greater impact on the diseases in the descending segment, and the rate of H. pylori infection is higher in duodenal bulb diseases.

Giant gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the mediastinum associated with an esophageal hiatal hernia and chest discomfort: a case report

Background

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) grow relatively slowly and without specific symptoms; therefore, they are typically incidental findings. We report a rare gastric GIST in the mediastinum associated with chest discomfort and an esophageal hiatal hernia.

Case presentation

An 81-year-old woman with chest discomfort was admitted to the hospital, where barium esophagography showed a sliding esophageal hiatal hernia and a tumor of the lower esophagus and gastric wall. Esophagogastroscopy confirmed the presence of a huge submucosal tumor that extended from the lower esophagus to the gastric fundus. According to computed tomography, the mediastinal mass measured 12.7 cm and had heterogeneous low-density areas. A submucosal gastric tumor, which we suspected to be a GIST, was diagnosed in association with an esophageal hiatal hernia. Using thoracolaparotomy, we performed a total gastrectomy, a lower esophagectomy, and a Roux-en-Y reconstruction with the jejunum. The presumptive diagnosis was confirmed through immunohistochemical examination; immunostaining yielded results positive for CD34 and c-kit. The patient was discharged from the hospital 13 days after surgery with no complications and remained disease-free at follow-up 24 months after surgery.

Conclusions

GIST should be considered in the differential diagnosis of tumors growing in the mediastinum.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for diagnosing a rare extraluminal duodenal gastrointestinal tumor

Duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are extremely rare disease entities, and the extraluminal type is difficult to diagnose. These tumors have been misdiagnosed as pancreatic tumors; hence, pancreaticoduodenectomy has been performed, although partial duodenectomy can be performed if accurately diagnosed. Developing a diagnostic methodology including endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has allowed us to diagnose the tumor directly through the duodenum. Here, we present a case of a 50-year-old woman with a 27-mm diameter tumor in the pancreatic uncus on computed tomography scan. EUS showed a well-defined hypoechoic mass in the pancreatic uncus that connected to the duodenal proper muscular layer and was followed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). Histological examination showed spindle-shaped tumor cells positively stained for c-kit. Based on these findings, the tumor was finally diagnosed as a duodenal GIST of the extraluminal type, and the patient underwent successful mass resection with partial resection of the duodenum. This case suggests that EUS and EUS-FNA are effective for diagnosing the extraluminal type of duodenal GISTs, which is difficult to differentiate from pancreatic head tumor, and for performing the correct surgical procedure.

Proliferation markers RacGAP1 and Ki-67 in gastrointestinal stromal tumors by immunohistochemistry with respect to clinicopathological features and different risk stratification systems

RacGAP1 is a protein associated with cell proliferation, cell growth regulation, cell transformation and metastasis. The present study was designed to evaluate RacGAP1 expression in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) for the first time in the literature and to determine its association with some predictive clinicopathological features, Ki-67 proliferation index, and risk stratification systems of Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) and modified National Institutes of Health (NIH). Paraffin-embedded tissues of 100 GISTs were investigated, retrospectively. High (≥10%) Ki-67 proliferation index, higher mitotic count, high cellularity, small intestinal location, and high-risk groups according to both AFIP and modified NIH criteria were found to be correlated with RacGAP1 positivity in the univariate analysis (all P values <0.05). The association between RacGAP1 expression and higher cellularity was supported by the multivariate analysis (P=0.023). High (≥10%) Ki-67 proliferation index was correlated with higher nuclear pleomorphism, necrosis, ulceration, small intestinal location, greater tumor size, higher mitotic count, and high risk group according to AFIP and NIH criteria in the univariate analysis (all P values <0.05). The correlation of Ki-67 proliferation index and mitotic count and high risk group according to AFIP criteria was confirmed by the multivariate analysis (all P values <0.05). In conclusion, higher RacGAP1 expression and Ki-67 index might be considered as effective complementation of risk stratification systems and unfavorable clinicopathological features in predicting poor outcome of GISTs. However, the utility of RacGAP1 expression in GISTs should be further validated in larger cohorts of patients with long-term follow-up data.

Surgery for Duodenal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: A Single-Center Experience

BACKGROUND

The duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are an extremely rare subset of GISTs. The optimal surgical procedure remains not well defined.

AIMS

We assessed the surgical approach and long-term outcomes of patients with duodenal GISTs who underwent limited resection (LR) versus pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).

METHODS

From November 2005 to January 2016, 64 consecutive patients with duodenal GISTs in a single center were retrospectively analyzed. Overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and perioperative outcomes were analyzed according to the different surgical type.

RESULTS

A total of 41 patients (64.1%) underwent LR, while 23 patients (35.9%) underwent PD. All patients had negative surgical margins (R0). Median tumor size was larger for PD (6 cm) versus LR (4 cm) (P = 0.041). PD also had more complications than LR (PD, 69.6 vs. LR, 31.7%) (P = 0.002). The 3-year and 5-year RFS was 62.9 and 44.3%, respectively. The 3-year and 5-year OS was 85.7 and 59.5%, respectively. The multivariate analysis demonstrated the only unfavorable predictive factor was tumor size >5 cm for RFS and OS. Although the complication rate in the PD group was higher than in the LR group, OS and RFS were not affected by the complication (P = 0.492 for OS, P = 0.512 for RFS). PD versus LR was not associated with RFS and OS. Adjuvant imatinib mesylate (IM) did not improve the survival of the patients after operation.

CONCLUSIONS

Survival of duodenal GISTs is mainly dependent on tumor biology rather than surgical procedure. LR should be the surgical procedure of choice for duodenal GISTs when technically feasible and no anatomical constrains. LR shows comparable survival and lower risk of postoperative complications compared by PD. The administration of IM both as adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy for duodenal GISTs needs large population and prospective study to evaluate its effect.

Duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors: clinicopathological characteristics, surgery, and long-term outcome

Background

Duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (DGIST) are rare, and data on their management is limited. We here report the clinicopathological characteristics, different surgical treatments, and long-term prognosis of DGIST.

Methods

Data of 74 consecutive patients with DGIST in a single institution from June 2000 to June 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. The overall survival (OS) and recurrence/metastasis-free survival rates of 74 cases were calculated using Kaplan–Meier method.

Results

Out of 74 cases, 42 cases were female (56.76 %) and 32 cases (43.24 %) were male. Approximately 22.97, 47.30, 16.22, and 13.51 % of the tumors originated in the first to fourth portion of the duodenum, respectively, with a tumor size of 5.08 ± 2.90 cm. Patients presented with gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 37, 50.00 %), abdominal pain (n = 25, 33.78 %), mass (n = 5, 6.76 %), and others (n = 7, 9.76 %). A total of 18 patients (24.3 %) underwent wedge resection (WR); 39 patients (52.7 %) underwent segmental resection (SR); and 17 cases (23 %) underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). The median follow-up was 56 months (1–159 months); 19 patients (25.68 %) experienced tumor recurrence or metastasis, and 14 cases (18.92 %) died. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year recurrence/metastasis-free survival rates were 93.9, 73.7, and 69 %, respectively. The 1-, 3- and 5-year OS were 100, 92.5, and 86 %, respectively. The recurrence/metastasis-free survival rate in the PD group within 5 years was lower than that in the WR group (P = 0.047), but was not different from that in the SR group (P = 0.060). No statistically significant difference was found among the three operation types (P = 0.294).

Conclusions

DGIST patients have favorable prognosis after complete tumor removal, and surgical procedures should be determined by the DGIST tumor location and size.