STI571 in a Patient with Metastatic and Unresectable Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor

Heisuke Fujimoto, Saiho Ko, Akihiko Naito, Taku Takeuchi and Yoshiyuki Nakajima

First Department of Surgery, Nara Medical University

A 59-year-old man admitted with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) repeatedly developed recurrent tumors at different abdominal sites with liver metastasis after initial surgery in March 1996. We conducted 9 incisions to excise these tumors. In June 2001, several new intraabdominal tumors and liver metastases progressed in size and number, as documented by computed tomography (CT). Tumor cells stained positive for c-kit CD117. STI571 (imatinib mesylate) is a competitive inhibitor of tyrosine kinases, including BCR-ABL, KIT, and PDGF-R, that is currently used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia. We started STI571 treatment for metastatic and unresectable GIST. After 9 months of treatment, CT showed that tumors had decreased to less than 10%in size and the metastatic liver tumor had disappeared. No new lesions appeared. As of May 2002, tumors at all sites continued to respond positively to treatment and the patient remains clinically well.

Key words
GIST, c-kit, STI571

Reprint requests
Heisuke Fujimoto The Department of Surgery, Matsubara Municipal Hospital 1-1-12 Taijoh, Matsubara City, 580-0044 JAPAN

Accepted
July 24, 2002

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