Minimally Invasive Treatment of Gastric GIST

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) form 5% of all gastrointestinal tumours and 40–60% of these are located in the stomach. GIST derive from the interstitial cells of Cajal and constitute a separate entity from leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma [1]. The criteria for differentiating benign from malignant gastric GIST have been debated for several years. Gastric GIST that are smaller than 5 cm and have fewer than 5 mitoses per high-power field (hpf) are considered to have low malignant potential. Tumours measuring 5–10 cm or having 5–10 mitoses per hpf are considered intermediate risk, and those greater than 10 cm or having more than 10 mitoses per hpf are considered high risk. After taking biopsies, location and staging have been performed by a combination of endoscopy, with detailed information about the exact location and size of the tumour, endoscopic ultrasonography, and CT scan.