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Population-Based Epidemiology and Mortality of Small Malignant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors in the USA

  • Original Article
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Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery Aims and scope

Abstract

Background and Aims

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) have significant variability in size and malignant behavior. Our current understanding is limited to pathological analyses, autopsy studies, and small case series. The aim of the current study is to define the risk factors, incidence, and mortality rates of GIST <2 cm in the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

Methods

Patients with histologically confirmed malignant GIST <2 cm were studied from 2001 to 2011. GIST was defined by GI tumor site codes and GIST-specific histology codes.

Results

We identified 378 patients with GIST <2 cm. The average age at diagnosis was 64.0 years with equal sex distribution. The most common tumor location was the stomach (62.2 %), followed by the small intestine (23.3 %), colon (5.6 %), and rectum (3.4 %). Most patients had localized disease (79.4 %), but 11.4 % had regional/distant metastatic disease. The annual incidence rate was 4.2 per 10,000,000 (10M). This was the highest among Blacks (7.6 per 10M). Among patients with GIST and no additional cancers, the 5-year GIST-specific mortality was 12.9 %. Moreover, there was a significantly increased 5-year GIST-specific mortality in those patients who had regionally advanced (34.0 %) or metastatic GIST (34.3 %), as compared to those patients with localized GIST (5.6 %).

Conclusions

This study represents the first population-based analysis of malignant GIST <2 cm. While quite rare, these tumors have an underappreciated disease-specific mortality. Further studies are needed to define the underlying reasons for the identified racial differences, to develop novel risk assessment schema for patients with these small tumors, and to determine appropriate indications for resection and/or medical therapy.

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Abbreviations

10M:

10,000,000

ESMO:

European Society of Medical Oncology

GIST:

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor

ICC:

Interstitial cells of Cajal

NCCN:

National Comprehensive Cancer Network

SEER:

Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of NIH TL1 TR001443 (K.E. Fero), NIH KL2 RR031978 (J.D. Murphy), and NIH K08 CA168999 (J.K. Sicklick).

Authors’ Contributions

There were no contributions to this manuscript by persons other than the authors. TMC and JKS were responsible for the study concept and design; TMC, KEF, and JDM for the acquisition of data; TMC, KEF, JDM, and JKS for the analysis and interpretation of data; TMC, KEF, CMT, JDM, and JKS for the drafting of the manuscript; TMC, KEF, PTF, RJM, CMT, JDM, and JKS for the critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content; KEF, JDM, and JKS for the statistical analysis; TMC, KEF, and JDM for the obtained funding; and JKS for the study supervision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Taylor M. Coe, Katherine E. Fero, Paul T. Fanta, James D. Murphy & Jason K. Sicklick

  2. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Paul T. Fanta

  3. Division of Surgical Oncology and Department of Surgery, Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Drive, Mail Code 0987, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0987, USA

    Robert J. Mallory, Chih-Min Tang & Jason K. Sicklick

  4. Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    James D. Murphy

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  1. Taylor M. Coe
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Correspondence to Jason K. Sicklick.

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Coe, T.M., Fero, K.E., Fanta, P.T. et al. Population-Based Epidemiology and Mortality of Small Malignant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors in the USA. J Gastrointest Surg 20, 1132–1140 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-016-3134-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-016-3134-y

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