Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor - Can Imatinib adjuvant treatment be stopped after 1 yr.Gist size?

24 Sep 2009

This from http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4x_Treatment_Choices_-_GIST.asp?rnav=cri

"... Taking imatinib can lower the chance that a GIST will come back (at least for a time), but it is not clear if it really prevents the cancer from coming back or if it just postpones it. So far, it is still too early to tell if this treatment helps patients live longer. The use of adjuvant treatment for GISTs is still being studied. "

12 Feb 2011

I had surgery to remove my primary tumor after it erupted in upper stomach. I did not have Gleevec due to clear margins and other complications. One year later it return in my liver. I was advised by doctors that it depends on size of tumor, mutation, and mediator rate. I am sure that due to all of these that my gist would of returned but unsure if I would of been NED if I started Gleevec right after being diagnosed for very long. I would say that do to your size and mitotic rate I would rely on a gist specialist to give you their advice.