Gastrointestinal stromal tumor

A gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a type of tumor that occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, most commonly in the stomach or small intestine. This type of tumor is thought to grow from specialized cells found in the gastrointestinal tract called interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) or precursors to these cells. Affected individuals can develop one or more tumors. GISTs are usually found in adults between ages 40 and 70; rarely, children and young adults develop this type of tumor.

Small tumors may cause no signs or symptoms. However, some people with GISTs may experience pain or swelling in the belly area (abdomen), nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, or weight loss. Sometimes, tumors cause bleeding into the gastrointestinal tract, which may lead to low red blood cell counts (anemia) and, consequently, weakness and tiredness. Bleeding into the intestines may cause black and tarry stools, and bleeding into the throat or stomach may cause vomiting of blood.

Affected individuals with no family history of GIST typically have only one tumor (called a sporadic GIST). People with a family history of GISTs (called familial GISTs) often have multiple tumors and additional signs or symptoms, including noncancerous overgrowth (hyperplasia) of other cells in the gastrointestinal tract and patches of dark skin on various areas of the body. Some affected individuals have a skin condition called urticaria pigmentosa (also known as maculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis), which is characterized by raised patches of brownish skin that sting or itch when touched.

A rare form of GIST, called succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)-deficient GIST, tends to occur in childhood or young adulthood and affects females more commonly than males. In this form, tumors are almost always in the stomach. Individuals with an SDH-deficient GIST have a high risk of developing other types of tumors, particularly noncancerous tumors in the nervous system called paragangliomas and noncancerous lung tumors called pulmonary chondromas. When GISTs occur in combination with paragangliomas, the condition is known as Carney-Stratakis syndrome; the combination of GISTs, paragangliomas, and pulmonary chondromas is known as Carney triad; and the combination of GISTs and pulmonary chondroma is known as incomplete Carney triad.