Benjamin Weinberg, MD, assistant professor of medicine, and attending physician, Georgetown University Hospital, Medstar Health, discusses the overall prognosis of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
Benjamin Weinberg, MD, assistant professor of medicine, and attending physician, Georgetown University Hospital, Medstar Health, discusses the overall prognosis of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).
GIST has an interesting growth pattern, says Weinberg. It develops from the stromal tissue, which allows GIST to present anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract. In most cases, if the tumor is surgically removed, outcomes are good. Then, oncologists have to decide if it is necessary to administer therapy after surgery and which form of therapy is optimal. Weinberg notes that the typical drug used for the treatment of a patient after surgical resection is imatinib (Gleevac), which is given for 1 to 3 years and followed by a curative surgical resection if the patient is high-risk.
In patients with metastatic GIST, physicians also use imatinib, but they profile patients beforehand to ensure that the patient can respond to the drug. There are other drugs, which are similar to imatinib, and can target other poly kinases in patients who are refractory to imatinib.
TMLI Trial Shows Potential in Relapsed/Refractory Leukemia
October 2nd 2024In an interview, Jeffrey Wong, MD, and Anthony Stein, MD, provided an in-depth discussion on a phase 2 trial of total marrow and lymphoid irradiation with cyclophosphamide and etoposide in high-risk acute leukemia.
Read More