title: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors in children and young adults: a clinicopathologic, molecular, and genomic study of 15 cases and review of the literature.
abstract: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal tumors of the intestinal tract that typically occur in adults over the age of 40 years. GISTs in younger patients are rare and not well characterized. The objective was to define the characteristics of GISTs in children and young adults (<30 years old). Clinicopathologic and molecular features, including KIT/PDGFRA genotype, in GISTs from 5 children and 10 young adults were analyzed. Gene expression analysis was performed on 5 gastric tumor samples from 2 children, 2 gastric tumors from young adults, and 10 gastric GISTs from older adults using an U133A Affymetrix platform (22,000 genes). All five pediatric GISTs occurred in girls, involved the stomach as multiple nodules, showed predominantly an epithelioid morphology, often involved lymph nodes, and lacked KIT or PDGFRA mutations. Although all five patients developed recurrence (four in the liver, three in the peritoneum, and two in both sites), four are still alive with disease. Of the 10 GISTs in young adults, half occurred in the small bowel and had spindle cell morphology, and one case had lymph node metastasis. KIT mutations were identified in seven cases, four in exon 11 and three in exon 9. Seven patients developed recurrence, and at last follow-up two patients had died of disease. Gene expression analysis showed high expression of PHKA1, FZD2, NLGN4, IGF1R, and ANK3 in the pediatric and young adult versus older adult cases. GISTs that occur in children are a separate clinicopathologic and molecular subset with predilection for girls, multifocal gastric tumors, and wild-type KIT/PDGFRA genotype. In contrast, GISTs in young adults are a more heterogeneous group, including cases that resemble either the pediatric or the older adult-type tumors. The distinct gene expression profile suggests avenues for investigation of pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Sonam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prakash
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sarran
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Socci
authors.forename: Ronald P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: DeMatteo
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eisenstat
authors.forename: Alba M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Maki
authors.forename: Leonard H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Wexler
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: LaQuaglia
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Besmer
authors.forename: Cristina R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Antonescu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001549:Benzamides; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics*; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020796:Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001549:Benzamides; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D010879:Piperazines; D011743:Pyrimidines; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D020796:Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha