Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are rare tumours involving the digestive tract and account for about 1% of primary gastrointestinal cancers. They occur predominantly in middle-age or older age groups, and are extremely rare in individuals under 30 years of age. The most common tumour locations are the:

• stomach (60%)
• small intestines (30%)
• Other less common locations include the duodenum (5%), large intestine (<5%), appendix and oesophagus (<1%)

These tumours arise from within the walls of the digestive tract, unlike the more common types of digestive cancers such as stomach or colon cancer which arise from the glandular cells in the inner lining. GISTs have varying malignant potential and are treated differently.