title: Rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumor: clinical features, endoscopic findings and prognosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) accounts for only a small portion of all GISTs, and reports regarding its clinical features and endoscopic findings are still lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two patients diagnosed as rectal GIST at Asan Medical Center, a tertiary university hospital in Korea between May 2003 and January 2011 were enrolled.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median age was 54 years (range, 31-79) with 18 males (56.2%). Common symptoms were hematochezia, anal pain, and defecation difficulty, although 11 patients were asymptomatic. The median size of tumor was 6.1 cm (range, 0.4-12.0 cm), and the median distance from the anal verge was 4 cm (range, 3 cm). The most common endoscopic finding was subepithelial tumor with normal overlying mucosa (63.1%), followed by subepithelial tumor with erosion, ulceration, or bleeding (31.6%). Preoperative imatinib was administered in eight patients (25.0%) that helped the downsizing the tumor and anal sphincter preserved. High-risk group by NIH risk classification and tumor size were associated with tumor recurrence, with the overall five-year recurrence-free survival of 67.2%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Common endoscopic feature of rectal GIST was subepithelial tumor with normal mucosa. Patients treated by definite resection with or without imatinib for rectal GIST seem to show a favorable clinical course.
authors.forename: Ji-Beom
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byong Duk
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Jong Lyul
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seok-Byung
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Chang Sik
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jin Cheon
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yoon-Koo
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jeong-Sik
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Byeon
authors.forename: Seung-Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Myung
authors.forename: Suk-Kyun
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jin-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D015996:Survival Rate