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Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor

Get the facts on Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor treatment, diagnosis, staging, causes, types, symptoms. Information and current news about clinical trials and trial-related data, Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor prevention, screening, research, statistics and other Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor related topics. We answer all your qestions about Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor.

Question: A RARE GIST(gastrointestinal stromal tumor) CASE HELP?? My husband was just diagnosed with a gist he has had recurrance, and more tumors have developed, i need help and information if there is anyone out there who can help, we have sent his case everywere and everyone says to try gleevec he has been on it for 15 days now, not to many results, but the problem is he keeps vomiting he vomited before he took gleevec because of the tumor putting pressure on his stomach so he is throwing up for 3 weeks now is on ivs, he has not gone to the bathroom, only urinating, and he vomits 1 to 2 hours after taking gleveec, i have not found anything helpful so far is there any help i can get regarding his vomiting the doctors here say that he should give gleveec a month to see if the tumor shrinks becuz docs say it is inoperable right now, and at the same time he feels pains from the tumor like its growing so what can we do? if there is anyone who knows how i can have his case read to doctors in america or support please thank you

Answer: Is he taking Zofran or any other meds to control the vomiting? If not ask your husband's oncologist for an RX or some samples ASAP. Zofran comes in an injectable form that works almost immediately. He needs to do whatever he can to keep the Gleevec down so that it can start working. Apparently Gleevec starts working quite quickly and effectively against GIST since changes can be seen on PET scans very soon after the drug is started. Do whatever you need to do to keep those pills down and then give the medicince time to work. I think Gleevec could be just as effective for GIST as it was for CMLeukemia - which means it could turn having a terminal cancer into having a manageable illness. good luck to you both Oncologist. 2008;13 Suppl 2:4-7. Response evaluation of gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Choi H. University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston Texas 77030, USA. hchoi@di.mdacc.tmc.edu Clinical management of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) has dramatically changed with the introduction of novel therapeutics, such as imatinib mesylate. This has created a need to re-evaluate the existing criteria used to assess treatment response. The current Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors are based on unidimensional tumor size, and do not take into account changes in responding GISTs such as a decrease in tumor density and decrease in the number of intratumoral vessels with computed tomography (CT). Positron emission tomography (PET) has been found to be highly sensitive in detecting early response, and to be useful in predicting long-term response to imatinib in patients with metastatic GIST; however, widespread use of PET is limited because of a lack of scanner availability and cost constraints. Modified CT criteria using a combination of tumor density and tumor size are promising in early response evaluation, and have excellent prognostic value. Identifying appropriate treatment response criteria is essential to optimize treatment for patients with GIST. PMID: 18434631


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