Voluminous bleeding stomach GIST: reflections on etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy.

Abstract

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) constitute a heterogeneous group of neoplasms which, although rare (around 1% of the total number of malignant tumours), are the most common mesenchymal tumours of the gastrointestinal tract. In the past they were not very well known, whereas today, thanks to the remarkable progress made in the immunohistochemical and molecular fields, considerable knowledge has been acquired, offering new opportunities for classification and, above all, for a more adequate multidisciplinary treatment of this pathology. In this study, the authors report a case of a bleeding GIST of the stomach which they recently observed and discuss it in the light of recent reflections on the aetiopathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy of these tumours in the literature.