title: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: treatment patterns of a population-based sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The National Cancer Institute (NCI) annually confirms therapy with treating physicians on a sample of patients diagnosed with a specific cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the NCI Patterns of Care data, treatment patterns were examined on a population-based sample of patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A random sample of 323 of 405 GIST patients registered in SEER was selected. Most patients had gastric GISTs, were ≥ 65 years, white, had private insurance, and treated in a hospital with a residency program. Surgery was primarily performed in patients with non-metastatic disease (94%), in which: 26, 12, and 36% were at low, intermediate, and high-risk of recurrence, respectively. Amongst low-risk patients, ∼ 30% received adjuvant therapy. Amongst patients at higher risk, 26-40% did not receive adjuvant therapy. Imatinib was the most common targeted therapy administered. On multivariate analysis, age and risk-group were associated with receipt of adjuvant targeted therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows that in 2008, the majority of patients diagnosed with GIST received appropriate surgical and adjuvant therapies. However, a considerable subset may have been overtreated and undertreated. Future studies identifying factors that impact the delivery of adjuvant therapy should be conducted.
authors.affiliation: Applied Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Linda C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Harlan
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eisenstein
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cardona
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018426:SEER Program; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: GIST; SEER registry; imatinib; sarcoma