Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors are soft tissue sarcomas that can be located in any part of the digestive system. Their most common sites are the stomach and small intestine.

A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread. A tumor can start in any part of the GI tract. There are several different types of GI tumors, including Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST).

Treatment for GIST may include surgery and / or targeted drug therapy. Other therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, are used less often.

GIST Symptoms include :

• Abdominal Pain

• A Growth you can feel in your abdomen
• Vomiting Blood
• Bowel Obstruction
• Weight Loss
• Difficulty Swallowing
• Nausea and Vomiting

Following Factors increase your Risk for GIST :

• Age : Familial gastrointestinal stromal tumor syndrome

• Gender : GIST is slightly more common in men than in women
• Familial Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Syndrome : Caused by an abnormal c-kit gene that is passed from parent to child.

• Surgery :
Surgery is a common treatment for soft tissue sarcoma. Surgery generally involves removing the cancer and some healthy tissue surrounding it.When soft tissue sarcoma affects the arms and legs, radiation and chemotherapy may be considered to shrink the tumor to avoid amputation.
• Chemotherapy :
Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses chemicals to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be administered by pill or through a vein (intravenously). Some forms of soft tissue sarcoma respond better to chemotherapy than do others. For instance, chemotherapy is often used to treat rhabdomyosarcoma.
• Targeted Drug Therapy :
Targeted drug treatments focus on specific abnormalities present within cancer cells. By blocking these abnormalities, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die. For GISTs, the target of these drugs is an enzyme called tyrosine kinase that helps cancer cells grow.
• Radiation Therapy :
Radiation therapy involves treating cancer with high-powered beams of energy. Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy x-rays or other particles to destroy cancer cells. A doctor who specializes in giving radiation therapy to treat cancer is called a radiation oncologist.