[Gastrointestinal stromal tumors - a retrospective study of 43 cases].

BACKGROUND gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare (10 to 20/million). They exist in the whole digestive system and its surroundings, and are most common in the stomach (70%), followed by the small intestine (20-25%), colon and rectum (5%), and esophagus ( < 5%). Their clinical presentation varies from small, incidentally found nodules to large and aggressive tumors. Nowadays GISTs are classified according to Fletcher s classification. OBJECTIVE to review the features of our GIST population. METHODS a retrospective study of GIST patients identified by immunohistochemical criteria, from 1997 to December 2007, and classified according to Fletcher s criteria. RESULTS 43 patients were included (24 men, 19 women) with a mean age of 62.7 years. Gastric GISTs (20 cases, 46.5%), small intestine GISTs (18 cases, 41.9%); in 5 cases metastases of occult tumors were found. Eighteen cases had no symptoms. Tumors were classified according to Fletcher s criteria as high-risk (n = 19), intermediate-risk (n = 7), low-risk (n = 12), and indeterminate-risk (n = 5). Death occurred in 10 patients, and 13 patients had metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS our results are in accordance with the world literature, in which a majority of cases are men with gastric tumors. The 5-year survival rate was 42%. Fletcher s criteria were easily applicable criteria and could predict tumor behavior.