Neoadjuvant

In 1983, the term gastrointestinal tumor (GIST) was introduced by Mazur and Clark to define intra-abdominal tumors that were pathologically different from carcinomas and did not resemble either smooth muscle or nerve cells. In the late 1990s, Sicar et al demonstrated that GIST tumor cells and the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), which are part of the myenteric plexus and operate to coordinate gut peristalsis, had common features, notably the expression of cKIT receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT RTK), which suggests that the ICC cells may be the cell of origin for GIST tumor cells. The identification of cKIT as a cell component of GIST tumor cells made it possible to pathologically distinguish this tumor from other GI sarcomas, which allows for a better diagnosis and estimation of its occurrence within our population. Prior to 2000 and the discovery of cKIT, the number of new GIST cases in the United States had been under diagnosed and therefore underestimated. With recent advances in understanding the biology and molecular pathogenesis of this tumor, differentiation of this tumor type from other gastrointestinal sarcomas has become more definitive. The estimated incidence of new cases of GIST arising in the United States annually is now believed to range between 3,000 and 8000 cases annually.

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Last date updated on April, 2024