title: Primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the liver with lung metastases successfully treated with STI-571 (imatinib mesylate).
abstract: We report a case of a primary malignant GIST of the liver metastatic to the lung in a 37 years-old man. The liver tumor showed histological feature of a GIST and expressed vimentin, and diffusely exhibited CD117. One year after the resection of the liver mass, the patient developed multiple small lung metastases which completely disappeared with STI-571 (imatinib mesylate--Gleevec) therapy. C.T. or PET did not show any mass in the abdomen. These findings suggest that the liver mass was a primary rather than a metastatic tumour. They also support the hypothesis that GIST could originate from undifferentiated mesenchymal cells capable to differentiate toward a pacemaker cell phenotype, which are present in sites other than the G.I. tract.
authors.affiliation: UOC Pathology, Istituto dei Tumori G. Pascale, Naples, Italy. annadechiara@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Annarosaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Chiara
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Rosa
authors.forename: Secondo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lastoria
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Botti
authors.forename: Vincenzo Rosario
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Iaffaioli
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Apice
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001549:Benzamides; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010641:Phenotype; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014746:Vimentin / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001549:Benzamides; D010879:Piperazines; D011743:Pyrimidines; D014746:Vimentin; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit