Editorial
Copyright ©2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Aug 16, 2010; 2(8): 271-277
Published online Aug 16, 2010. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v2.i8.271
Gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the stomach: How to manage?
Kazuya Akahoshi, Masafumi Oya
Kazuya Akahoshi, Department of Gastroenterology, Aso Iizuka Hospital, Iizuka 820-8505, Japan
Masafumi Oya, Department of Pathology, Aso Iizuka Hospital, Iizuka 820-8505, Japan
Author contributions: Akahoshi K performed endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) and wrote the paper; and Oya M performed immunohistological analysis of EUS-FNA specimens.
Correspondence to: Kazuya Akahoshi, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, Aso Iizuka Hospital, 3-83 Yoshio Town, Iizuka 820-8505, Japan. kakahoshi2@aol.com
Telephone: +81-948-223800 Fax: +81-948-298747
Received: February 27, 2010
Revised: June 27, 2010
Accepted: July 4, 2010
Published online: August 16, 2010
Abstract

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is one of the most common malignant mesenchymal tumors of the stomach. Prognosis of this disease is related to tumor size and mitotic activity and early diagnosis is the only way to improve it. Diagnosis of GIST always requires histological and immunohistochemical confirmation as no imaging modalities can diagnose it conclusively. Endoscopic forceps biopsy results are frequently negative. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is a technique which allows tissue samples to be obtained with minimal risks and is accurate in the diagnosis of GIST. From the point of view of the endoscopist, aggressive use of EUS-FNA is the only promising way to allow early diagnosis and early treatment of this disease.

Keywords: Gastrointestinal stromal tumor, Endoscopic ultrasound, Fine needle aspiration, Gastrointestinal endoscopy, Algorithm