Extended adjuvant therapy with imatinib in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors : recommendations for patient selection, risk assessment, and molecular response monitoring.
On the basis of the recently published results of a clinical trial comparing 12 and 36 months of imatinib in adjuvant therapy for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), which demonstrated clinical benefit of longer imatinib treatment in terms of delaying recurrences and improving overall survival, both the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency have updated their recommendations and approved 36 months of imatinib treatment in patients with v-kit Hardy-Zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KIT)-positive GISTs (also known as CD117-positive GISTs) at high risk of recurrence after surgical resection of a primary tumor. This article discusses patient selection criteria for extended adjuvant therapy with imatinib, different classifications of risk of recurrence, and assessment of the response to therapy.
Department of Soft Tissue/Bone Sarcoma and Melanoma, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, Roentgena 5, 02-781, Warsaw, Poland. rutkowskip@coi.waw.pl
Piotr
P
Rutkowski
Joanna
J
Przybył
Marcin
M
Zdzienicki
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001549:Benzamides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018579:Patient Selection; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000378:metabolism; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001549:Benzamides; D010879:Piperazines; D011743:Pyrimidines; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit