Clinical Prognostic Factors in Malignant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Park, Ki Jae; Kim, Min Chan

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) constitute the largest category of primary non-epithelial neoplasm of the gastrointestinal tract. The authors attempted to explain the correlation between the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of malignant GISTs.
METHODS
We reviewed the clinical records of 26 patients with malignant GISTs. They underwent operation at Dong-A University Hospital from 1991 to 2001. Twenty of 26 patients had the adequate follow-up period and curative resection. The median follow-up period was 43.1 (range 21-123) months. Twenty patients were divided into the survived group (n=14) and the expired group (n=6).
RESULTS
The 26 patients had a median age over 50 years. The most common symptom was abdominal pain (42.3%), followed by GI bleeding (23%). The tumor size of the 26 patients ranged from 2.5 to 16 cm. There was a significant difference in the mean tumor size between the survived group (6.0 cm) and the expired group (13.5 cm) according to the analysis of 20 patients who had the adequate follow-up period (p=0.017). However, the two groups showed no statistical difference in age, sex, tumor location, and the results of chemotherapy. According to the analysis using Cox's proportional hazard model, the tumor size was a significant factor (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that the tumor size is the only single factor affecting survival of patients with malignant GIST.