Gastro-Intestinal Stromal Tumours (Gists)--the Pretoria Experience and a Literature Review (General Surgery) (Report‪)‬

Gastro-intestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumours of the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT). (1-3) They are, however, rare and account for about 1% of all gastro-intestinal (GI) tumours. (1,4,5) GISTs originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), an intestinal pacemaker cell. GISTs express the KIT protein (CD117) or CD34, and it is this feature that distinguishes them from leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma. The diagnosis is made by immunohistochemical staining techniques for c-KIT. (6,7) About 3 - 5% of GISTs are KIT-negative.