title: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors in Turkey: experiences from 3 centers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are rare tumors of the gastrointestinal system. The most common primary site of GIST is the stomach. The treatment is primarily surgery, and the standard medical therapy is imatinib. Long-term survival can be obtained with good follow-up and treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, data entry was performed using a web-based patient registry system for patients who were referred to 3 centers and retrospectively were diagnosed with GIST.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study cohort consisted of 249 patients, including 160 men (64.3%) and 89 women (35.7%). The mean age was 59 years (range 21-90 years). Initially, 69.9% of the patients had local disease, while 30.1% had metastatic disease. The tumor was located in the stomach in 45.6% of patients. According to the Fletcher risk classification, the very low risk group included 8 subjects (3.2%), the low risk group included 40 subjects (16.1%), the moderate risk group included 56 subjects (22.5%), and the high risk group included 117 subjects (47%); the unspecified group included 28 subjects (11.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data are important for revealing the clinicopathologic characteristics and survival data of patients with GIST, who are treated and followed up in Turkey.
authors: Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, Istanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey. drfatih74@yahoo.com
authors: Fatih
authors: F
authors: Selcukbiricik
authors: Suayip
authors: S
authors: Yalçın
authors: Deniz
authors: D
authors: Tural
authors: Sibel
authors: S
authors: Erdamar
authors: Gokhan
authors: G
authors: Demir
authors: Gülen
authors: G
authors: Doğusoy
authors: Nil Molinas
authors: NM
authors: Mandel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult