and Jeffrey D. Wayne
Raut, Richard F. Riedel, Scott Schuetze, Hema M. Sundar, Jonathan C. Trent
P.DeMatteo, Kristen N. Ganjoo, Robert G. Maki, Peter W.T. Pisters, Chandrajit
George D. Demetri, Margaret von Mehren, Cristina R. Antonescu, Ronald P.
with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors
NCCN Task Force Report: Update on the Management of Patients
Harborside Press, 37 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
is published by JNCCN – The Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Print ISSN: 1540-1405. Online ISSN: 1540-1413.
. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2010 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
2010;8:S-1-S-41J Natl Compr Canc Netw
Online article http://www.jnccn.org/content/8/Suppl_2/S-1.full
Supplemental Material
Suppl_2.S-1.DC1.html
http://www.jnccn.org/http://www.jnccn.org/content/suppl/2011/07/19/8.
Subscriptions
http://www.jnccn.org/site/subscriptions/
is online at Comprehensive Cancer Network
JNCCN – The Journal of the NationalInformation about subscribing to
Permissions
http://www.NCCN.org/permissionsmaterial, please go online to
For information about photocopying, republishing, reprinting, or adapting
NCCN.org
.
Al
l r
ig
ht
s
re
se
rv
ed
.
Co
py
rig
ht
©
2
01
0
by
th
e
Na
tio
na
l C
om
pr
eh
en
siv
e
Ca
nc
er
N
et
wo
rk
fro
m
0
0.
00
0.
00
0.
0
o
n
M
ar
ch
7
, 2
01
3
by
g
ue
st
jnc
cn
.or
g
D
ow
nl
oa
de
d
fro
m
Supplement
© Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network | Volume 8 Supplement 2 | April 2010
S-1
Key Words
NCCN, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, GIST, gastric mass, stomach
cancer, abdominal tumor, small bowel tumor, gastrointestinal
tract, liver metastasis, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, TKIs, KIT, CD117,
PDGFRA, wild-type GISTs, gene expression profiling, GEP, imatinib,
sunitinib
Abstract
The standard of care for managing patients with gastrointestinal
stromal tumors (GISTs) rapidly changed after the introduction of
effective molecularly targeted therapies involving tyrosine kinase
inhibitors (TKIs), such as imatinib mesylate and sunitinib malate.
A better understanding of the molecular characteristics of GISTs
have improved the diagnostic accuracy and led to the discovery of
novel immunomarkers and new mechanisms of resistance to TKI
therapy, which in turn have resulted in the development of novel
treatment strategies. To address these issues, the NCCN organized
a task force consisting of a multidisciplinary panel of experts in the
fields of medical oncology, surgical oncology, molecular diagnos-
tics, and pathology to discuss the recent advances, identify areas of
future research, and recommend an optimal approach to care for
patients with GIST at all stages of disease. The task force met for
the first time in October 2003 and again in December 2006 and Oc-
tober 2009. This supplement describes the recent developments in
the field of GIST as discussed at the October 2009 meeting. (JNCCN
2010;8[Suppl 2]:S1–S40)
in one of the receptor protein tyrosine kinases: KIT
(CD117) or platelet-derived growth factor receptor
alpha (PDGFRA).
The standard of care in the management of patients
with GIST rapidly changed after the introduction of ty-
rosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as imatinib mesyl-
ate and sunitinib malate. This supplement describes the
recent developments in the field of GIST. Given the
limitations of these data, the authors encourage enroll-
ment of patients in clinical trials when possible.
Epidemiology
SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Re-
sults) data from the National Cancer Institute in the
mid-1990s indicated that sarcomas account for 2.2%
of gastric cancers, 13.9% of small bowel cancers, and
0.1% of colorectal cancers. Most of these gastrointes-
tinal sarcomas are presumably GISTs.2 These percent-
ages suggested that only 500 to 600 new cases of GIST
would occur each year in the United States, but this
significantly underestimated the true incidence, because
many cases were not captured in the SEER registries for
various reasons.
The age-adjusted yearly incidence rate of GIST was
6.8 per million in the SEER data from 1992 to 2000,
with 54% men and 46% women.3 Population-based
studies from Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Swe-
den reported annual incidence rates ranging from 6.5 to
14.5 cases per million, but these figures may also contain
GISTs detected incidentally and at autopsy.4–7 Assum-
ing an annual incidence rate of 10 per million, approxi-
mately 3000 GISTs might be diagnosed in the United
Background
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most
common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal
tract. Neoplastic GIST cells seem to arise from a com-
mon precursor cell, which gives rise to the interstitial
cells of Cajal in the normal myenteric plexus.1 GISTs
can arise anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract but
are most common in the stomach and small intestine,
most commonly resulting from activating mutations
NCCN Task Force Report: Update on the
Management of Patients with Gastrointestinal
Stromal Tumors
George D. Demetri, MD; Margaret von Mehren, MD; Cristina R. Antonescu, MD; Ronald P. DeMatteo, MD; Kristen N. Ganjoo, MD;
Robert G. Maki, MD, PhD; Peter W.T. Pisters, MD; Chandrajit P. Raut, MD, MSc; Richard F. Riedel, MD; Scott Schuetze, MD, PhD;
Hema M. Sundar, PhD; Jonathan C. Trent, MD, PhD; and Jeffrey D. Wayne, MD
.
Al
l r
ig
ht
s
re
se
rv
ed
.
Co
py
rig
ht
©
2
01
0
by
th
e
Na
tio
na
l C
om
pr
eh
en
siv
e
Ca
nc
er
N
et
wo
rk
fro
m
0
0.
00
0.
00
0.
0
o
n
M
ar
ch
7
, 2
01
3
by
g
ue
st
jnc
cn
.or
g
D
ow
nl
oa
de
d
fro
m
Supplement
NCCN Task Force Report
© Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network | Volume 8 Supplement 2 | April 2010
S-2
Extragastrointestinal (soft tissue) stromal tumors are
histologically and immunophenotypically similar to
their gastrointestinal counterpart but have an ag-
gressive course similar to small intestinal than gas-
tric stromal tumors.15 Recurrence after resection is
predominantly intra-abdominal, and the liver is the
most common site of recurrence in patients with
primary presentation and those with metastatic dis-
ease at presentation.16 Lymph node metastases are
extremely uncommon; spread to the lungs or other
extra-abdominal locations are also extremely rare.
GISTs are associated with a broad range of pre-
sentations. Many are identified clinically because
they cause symptoms and some are identified at au-
topsy. Small GISTs that are smaller than 2 cm usu-
ally do not produce any symptoms and are detected
incidentally during abdominal exploration, endos-
copy, or radiologic imaging.17 In a recent population-
based study, the median tumor size of GISTs that
were detected based on symptoms, incidental find-
ings, or during an autopsy were 8.9, 2.7, and 3.4 cm,
respectively.7
In general, patients with a suspected GIST may
present with various symptoms, including but not
limited to early satiety, fatigue secondary to anemia,
intraperitoneal hemorrhage, intraluminal gastroin-
testinal bleeding, or abdominal discomfort from pain
or swelling. Some patients may present with an acute
abdomen (as result of tumor rupture, gastrointesti-
nal obstruction, or appendicitis-like pain), which
requires immediate medical attention.
Pathology and Differential Diagnosis
GISTs range in size from incidental lesions a few mil-
limeters in diameter to large masses of 35 cm or more;
the median size at presentation is approximately 5
cm. The tumors are generally centered on the bowel
wall, but may form polypoid serosal- or mucosal-
based masses. Ulceration of the mucosa is often as-
sociated with gastrointestinal bleeding. Most GISTs
present as a single, well-circumscribed nodule. The
cut surface is fleshy and may show areas of cystic de-
generation, necrosis, or hemorrhage. Occasionally,
satellite nodules are within the adjacent peritoneal
surface. Rarely, a patient will have 2 separate GISTs
at different locations in the gastrointestinal tract.
In these cases, familial GIST should be considered,
which is typically associated with interstitial cell of
States per year. The incidence of GIST is not known
for all populations; most data refer to Caucasian in-
dustrialized populations. The diagnosis of GIST has
dramatically increased since 1992, and survival has
greatly improved since 2002, when the FDA ap-
proved imatinib mesylate.8 The increase in the num-
ber of GISTs diagnosed per year is likely from greater
awareness and improved histopathologic detection,
although the true incidence also may be increasing.9
Small GISTs (only a few millimeters in diam-
eter) are common in the general adult population.
These “mini-GISTs” are immunopositive for KIT
and often contain an oncogenic mutation in the KIT
or PDGFRA gene.10 In a series of consecutive autop-
sies performed in Germany, small GISTs (1–10 mm)
were grossly detectable in 22.5% of the autopsies in
individuals older than 50 years.10 These findings sug-
gest that most small GISTs do not progress rapidly
into large macroscopic tumors despite the presence
of a KIT or PDGFRA mutation.
GIST has been reported in all age groups, in-
cluding newborn infants. However, it is extremely
rare in patients younger than 30 years. The median
age at diagnosis ranges from 66 to 69 years in popula-
tion-based series that include cases found at autopsy,
which are diagnosed about a decade later than symp-
tomatic GISTs.4,7 In a study of 1765 gastric GISTs,
the median age at diagnosis was 63 years.11 In a series
consisting of 906 jejunal and ileal GISTs, the mean
age was 59 years.12 In the latter 2 series, only 2.7% of
gastric GISTs and 0.6% of small bowel GISTs were
detected in patients younger than 21 years.
Thus, this supplement refers to the manage-
ment of GIST in adult patients. Pediatric GIST
and other GIST variants (familial GIST and
neurofibromatosis-1 [NF-1]-associated GIST) that
require specialized management are briefly discussed.
Clinical Presentation
In adult GISTs, the stomach (60%) and small in-
testine (30%) are the most common primary sites;
duodenum (5%) and colorectum (< 5%) are the less
common primary sites. Rectal GISTs are uncommon,
and GISTs originating in the colon are rare. Only a
small number of cases (< 1%) have been reported
in the esophagus and appendix. On rare occasions
GISTs develop outside the gastrointestinal tract in
the mesentery, omentum, or retroperitoneum.13,14
.
Al
l r
ig
ht
s
re
se
rv
ed
.
Co
py
rig
ht
©
2
01
0
by
th
e
Na
tio
na
l C
om
pr
eh
en
siv
e
Ca
nc
er
N
et
wo
rk
fro
m
0
0.
00
0.
00
0.
0
o
n
M
ar
ch
7
, 2
01
3
by
g
ue
st
jnc
cn
.or
g
D
ow
nl
oa
de
d
fro
m
Supplement
Management of GIST
© Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network | Volume 8 Supplement 2 | April 2010
S-3
Cajal hyperplasia within myenteric plexus.
Most GISTs show 1 of 3 histologic patterns:
spindle cell type (70%; Figure 1), predominantly
epithelioid cell type (20%; Figure 2), or a mixture
of both spindle and epithelioid cells.14 Epithelioid
GISTs may have either a diffuse or nested architec-
ture, whereas spindle cells GISTs are arranged in
short fascicles or whorls. The stroma is usually scanty
but may vary from hyalinized to myxoid; extensive-
ly myxoid GISTs are rare. Most spindle cell GISTs
have a uniform cytology, with fibrillary eosinophilic
cytoplasm and nuclei containing fine chromatin and
inconspicuous nucleoli. Marked cytologic pleomor-
phism is rare and should raise the possibility of an
alternative diagnosis. However, epithelioid GIST
may often show evidence of bi- or multinucleation,
and a more significant nuclear atypia, compared
with the spindle cell counterpart. Unusual but strik-
ing features seen in a subset of cases are prominent
paranuclear vacuoles (usually in gastric lesions),
hyaline eosinophilic material known as skeinoid fi-
bers (mainly in small bowel lesions), and extensive
nuclear palisading.
The morphologic differential diagnosis of spin-
dle cell GIST is broad and includes both benign
and malignant lesions, such as smooth muscle tu-
mors (leiomyoma, leiomyosarcoma), schwanno-
ma, intra-abdominal desmoid-type fibromatosis,
inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, solitary fi-
brous tumor, and sarcomatoid carcinoma. The dif-
ferential diagnosis for epithelioid GIST includes
carcinoma, metastatic melanoma, clear cell sar-
coma, epithelioid variants of leiomyosarcoma, and
epithelioid hemangioendothelioma.
Obtaining adequate tumor tissue material for de-
finitive diagnosis before surgical resection has been
challenging. Because these tumors tend to be soft and
friable, biopsy may cause tumor rupture and be associ-
ated with an increased risk for tumor dissemination.
Furthermore, the diagnosis of GIST can be highly
suspected based on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) or
esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Recent reports have
suggested that definitive diagnosis of GIST requires
tissue acquisition through EUS-guided fine-needle
aspiration.18 However, biopsy may not be necessary
if the tumor is easily resectable and preoperative
therapy is not required. Conversely, biopsy might be
needed if preoperative therapy is being considered
for unresectable or marginally resectable tumors.
The diagnosis of GIST has evolved over a short
period. In patients with a remote history of an ab-
dominal or pelvic tumor diagnosed as something
different, such as a leiomyosarcoma or leiomyoblas-
toma, re-examination of the tumor using current
morphologic, immunophenotypic, and genotypic
Figure 1 Spindle cell gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).
Typical morphology of a low-risk GIST comprised predomi-
nantly of spindle cells. This tumor was strongly KIT-positive
and harbored a mutation in KIT exon 11 (H&E stain; original
magnification, 400x).
Courtesy of Christopher L. Corless, MD, PhD, Oregon Health
& Science University.
Figure 2 Intermediate-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumor
(GIST) comprised predominantly of epithelioid cells. The
tumor was KIT-positive and contained a mutation in KIT exon
9 (H&E stain; original magnification, 400x).
Courtesy of Christopher L. Corless, MD, PhD, Oregon Health
& Science University.
.
Al
l r
ig
ht
s
re
se
rv
ed
.
Co
py
rig
ht
©
2
01
0
by
th
e
Na
tio
na
l C
om
pr
eh
en
siv
e
Ca
nc
er
N
et
wo
rk
fro
m
0
0.
00
0.
00
0.
0
o
n
M
ar
ch
7
, 2
01
3
by
g
ue
st
jnc
cn
.or
g
D
ow
nl
oa
de
d
fro
m
Supplement
NCCN Task Force Report
© Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network | Volume 8 Supplement 2 | April 2010
S-4
able (47% in small bowel and 96%–100% in the rec-
tum and esophagus), whereas SMA expression was
most frequent in small bowel GISTs (47%) and rare
in GISTs of the rectum and esophagus (10%–13%).
Desmin was seen only occasionally. S100 positivity
was rare but was seen most frequently in small intes-
tinal GISTs (15%).22
In contrast to GIST, leiomyoma and leiomyosar-
coma are positive for SMA and desmin and negative
for KIT and CD34. Malignant melanoma exhibits
diffuse immunoreactivity for S100 protein, but can
be focally positive for KIT. Schwannomas are strong-
ly and diffusely immunoreactive for S100 protein
and negative for KIT. Intra-abdominal desmoid-type
fibromatosis may show weak, nonspecific staining for
KIT, but express nuclear reactivity for beta-catenin.
Sarcomatoid carcinoma tends to be pleomorphic,
highly mitotically active, positive for cytokeratins,
and negative for KIT and CD34.
KIT-Negative GISTs: Approximately 5% of GISTs
are truly negative for detectable KIT expression, the
so-called “KIT-negative GISTs.”23,24 Establishing the
diagnosis of KIT-negative GIST remains a challenge
and is best handled by a reference pathologist with
expertise in this area. Precise diagnosis is of utmost
importance because some KIT-negative tumors are
known to be sensitive to imatinib. The location and
morphology of the tumor and the results of immu-
nohistochemical staining for KIT are essential to
confirm diagnosis. In a proportion of KIT-negative
GISTs, the genotypic analysis shows mutations in the
PDGFRA gene rather than KIT. 25–27 Many of these
PDGFRA-mutant GISTs have an epithelioid mor-
phology (Figure 3). Immunostaining with PDGFRA
has been shown in this particular setting to be help-
ful in discriminating between KIT-negative GISTs
and other gastrointestinal mesenchymal lesions.28–30
BRAF mutations have also been reported in a
small subset of intestinal high-risk GISTs (imatinib-
naive or -resistant) lacking KIT/PDGFRA muta-
tions.31 This observation delineates a subgroup of
patients who may benefit from selective BRAF in-
hibitors as an alternative to imatinib. These prelimi-
nary findings must be confirmed in a larger cohort.
Protein kinase C theta (PKCtheta) is a down-
stream effector in the KIT signaling pathway. It may
play an important role in the diagnosis of KIT-nega-
tive GISTs, because it is expressed strongly in GISTs
but not in leiomyosarcoma or other tumors that are
criteria might result in its reclassification as GIST.
Immunohistochemistry
GISTs have a characteristic immunohistochemi-
cal profile that is useful for confirming a suspected
diagnosis.19 Approximately 95% are positive for
KIT (CD117). In general, KIT staining in GISTs is
strongly and diffusely positive, but is not necessarily
uniform across different regions of the tumor. Stain-
ing may appear in a cytoplasmic (most common),
membranous, or a concentrated dot-like perinuclear
pattern. Some cases show combinations of these pat-
terns. Epithelioid GISTs tend to have a weaker and
patchier staining pattern than spindle cell GISTs.
Because KIT is expressed in nearly all GISTs
and KIT positivity was a requirement in early trials
of imatinib, this marker has been emphasized in the
biomedical literature and is often used for diagnosis.
However, caveats exist to the use of this marker. First,
the CD117/KIT antibody must be properly tittered.
Overstaining for KIT has been a problem in some
laboratories and has caused other mesenchymal tu-
mors to be misdiagnosed as GIST. Second, the inten-
sity of KIT staining in GISTs is somewhat variable.
Third, staining intensity does not predict the likeli-
hood of a response to treatment with imatinib,20 and
although KIT-positivity is a major defining feature
for GIST, KIT-positivity alone may not be sufficient
for diagnosis. Non-GISTs that are positive for KIT
include metastatic melanoma, angiosarcoma (50%),
Ewing’s sarcoma family of tumors (50%), childhood
neuroblastoma (30%), extramedullary myeloid tu-
mor, seminoma, and small cell lung carcinoma.21
GIST can be confidently diagnosed if the morpholo-
gy and immunophenotype are concordant; however,
tumors with any unusual features should be sent to a
referral institution with special expertise.
Other commonly expressed markers include
CD34 antigen (70%), smooth muscle actin (SMA;
30%–40%), desmin (< 5%), and S100 protein
(~5%).19 The immunophenotype of GISTs varies de-
pending on anatomic sites: CD34 is often positive in
esophageal, gastric, and rectal lesions, whereas SMA
is most often positive in small bowel tumors. S100 is
more common in small intestinal GISTs than in gas-
tric GISTs. CD34 and SMA staining can be either
diffuse or focal. Staining for the other markers, when
present, is usually patchy and weak. In an immuno-
histochemical analysis of 292 GISTs originating in
the gastrointestinal tract, CD34 expression was vari-
.
Al
l r
ig
ht
s
re
se
rv
ed
.
Co
py
rig
ht
©
2
01
0
by
th
e
Na
tio
na
l C
om
pr
eh
en
siv
e
Ca
nc
er
N
et
wo
rk
fro
m
0
0.
00
0.
00