Benign Tumours – Stromal Tumours

They can occur throughout the gastrointestinal tract, with more frequent localization in the stomach and less frequently in the oesophagus.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are generally rare.

They can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract, most commonly in the stomach and less frequently in the esophagus.

Specifically, they are located in:

• Stomach (45 – 60%).
• Oesophagus (5%).
• Small intestine (30%).
• Large intestine (5 – 10%).

Rarely, they may be located in extra-gastrointestinal positions (liver, gallbladder, pancreas, bladder).

These tumours are associated with benign behaviour when the size does not exceed 5cm in diameter and vice versa.

They appear either as solitary or as multiple lesions.

They can give, mainly haematogenous metastases, to the liver and peritoneum, especially when they acquire malignant behaviour.

Lymphatic metastases are rare.

The most common age for these to develop is over 40 years with the greatest impact at about 60 years.

There is no difference between the sexes, either in terms of geographical distribution or work correlations.