Case Report
Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 28, 2008; 14(8): 1302-1304
Published online Feb 28, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.1302
Gastrointestinal stromal tumour of the rectum: Report of a case and review of literature
Nello Grassi, Calogero Cipolla, Adriana Torcivia, Stefano Mandalà, Giuseppa Graceffa, Alessandro Bottino, Federica Latteri
Nello Grassi, Calogero Cipolla, Adriana Torcivia, Stefano Mandalà, Giuseppa Graceffa, Alessandro Bottino, Federica Latteri, Department of Oncology, Division of General and Oncological Surgery, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo 90127, Italy
Correspondence to: Dr. Calogero Cipolla, Department of Oncology, Division of General and Oncological Surgery, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo 90127 Italy. calogerocipolla@virgilio.it
Telephone: +39-91-6554501
Fax: +39-91-6554429
Received: November 1, 2007
Revised: December 6, 2007
Published online: February 28, 2008
Abstract

Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) is a rare tumour of the gastrointestinal tract which does not generally originate in the rectum. The authors describe a case of a 70-year-old man who underwent an anterior resection of the rectum for a low-risk GIST. The patient was not given adjuvant chemotherapy with imatinib and is still disease-free 30 mo after surgery. The authors conclude that although rectal GIST is extremely uncommon, it should be included in differential diagnosis when a tumour in the rectum is detected. Biopsy of the tumour is essential, since this makes it possible to reach a sure preoperative diagnosis based on the immunohistological features of the CD117 and CD34. Although complete surgical resection with negative tumour margins is the principal curative procedure for primary and non-metastatic tumours, further studies are still needed for the determination of the most effective treatment strategy for patients with rectal GIST.

Keywords: Rectal; Gastrointestinal stromal tumour; Diagnosis; Treatment; Surgery