INTERESTING CASE OF GIST

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What are GIST tumors?

It is a relatively rare tumor, most commonly found in the stomach and less frequently in the small intestine. Depending on its size and histological characteristics, it can be classified as benign or mildly malignant.

What are the symptoms?

 The symptoms of a GIST tumor are nonspecific and depend on the location and size of the tumor. They may include pain, bleeding, constipation, obstruction, etc., or the tumor may be asymptomatic, meaning without symptoms.

Diagnosis

 The diagnosis is made based on the patient's clinical presentation along with the findings from imaging and laboratory tests.

  • Computed Tomography (CT)
  • MRI
  • Endoscopy
  • Blood tests

Treatment

The treatment of the tumor is surgical. The tumor is removed laparoscopically through small incisions or via open surgery.

Case presentation

Patient, 65 years old, asymptomatic, during a routine prostate examination, a suspicious mass was found on the ultrasound.

During the clinical examination, he exhibited mild tenderness upon palpation in the suprapubic area.

Subsequently, he was referred for an abdominal-pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which revealed an expansive lesion with central necrosis measuring 11cm x 10cm x 13cm, displacing the upper part of the urinary bladder and abutting the loops of the terminal ileum and the sigmoid colon.

After careful preoperative assessment, the patient underwent exploratory laparotomy under general anesthesia, during which the aforementioned mass was completely excised along with a portion of the small intestine.

The postoperative course was uneventful, without complications, and the patient was referred for oncological assessment and treatment.