Gastrointestinal Tumors

• How are gastrointestinal stromal tumours diagnosed?

• How are gastrointestinal stromal tumours treated?

• Where can I learn more about gastrointestinal stromal tumours?

• What are the symptoms of gastrointestinal stromal tumours?

• What do I need to talk to my doctor about?

How are gastrointestinal stromal tumors diagnosed?

Screening refers to tests and exams used to find a disease such as cancer in people who do not have any symptoms. The American Cancer Society has recommendations for screening tests to find several types of cancer as early as possible. But because GISTs occur so rarely, no effective screening tests have been found, so routine testing of people without any symptoms is not recommended.

GISTs may be found early by chance. Sometimes they are seen on an exam for another problem, such as during colonoscopy to look for colon cancer. Or a GIST may be seen on an imaging test, such as a CT scan or barium study, performed for another reason, but this is very uncommon. GISTs may also be found incidentally (unexpectedly) during abdominal surgery for another problem.

 

How are gastrointestinal stromal tumors treated?

Treatment options include

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy

 

Where can I learn more about gastrointestinal stromal tumors?

Visit www.cancer.org

 

What are the symptoms of gastrointestinal stromal tumors?

Most GISTs occur in the stomach or small intestine. These tumors may not cause any symptoms unless they are in a certain location or grow to a certain size.

The most common symptoms of GISTs are abdominal discomfort or pain and bleeding into the intestinal tract. Usually the bleeding will show up as dark or black bowel movements, but sometimes a person will vomit blood. Bleeding may also lead to anemia (low red blood cell counts), which can cause a person to feel tired all the time or have shortness of breath.

 

What do I need to talk to my doctor about?

Questions you may want to ask your doctor –

• Where is my tumor located?
• How likely is this tumor to grow or spread quickly?
• Has my tumor spread beyond the primary site?
• What is the stage of my cancer and what does that mean in my case?
• What treatment choices do I have?
• What do you recommend and why?
• What risks or side effects are there to the treatments you suggest?
• How would treatment affect my activities?
• What are the chances my cancer will come back with these treatment plans?
• What would we do if this happens?
• What should I do to be ready for treatment?
• Should I follow a special diet?
• Will my insurance plan pay for the cost of all of the treatments that are recommended?

 

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