An Interesting Case of Malignant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour Presenting as Gastrointestinal Bleeding - A Case Report

Abstract

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) are 0.1 to 3% of all GI malignancies. Most common in stomach followed by small intestine. Incidence rate of GISTs is 1.5-2 per 100,000 population. The likelihood of developing GISTs increases with age, with malignant cases commonly occurring in individuals in their sixties. Histologically, the incidence of GISTs is much higher than the number of clinically observed cases. Many GISTs grow outward within the gastrointestinal wall, often leading to late diagnosis when they present as large abdominal masses or cause gastrointestinal bleeding, hemoperitoneum, or perforations. Consequently, about one-fourth of GIST cases are identified during clinical emergencies, frequently resulting in surgical exploration that leads to their diagnosis.Minority of the cases are diagnosed while evaluating the patient for GI bleeding due to ulceration of the growth through USG, CT abdomen, CT/ USG guided percutaneous biopsy and/or endoscopy. Here the patient presented with anemia and lower gastrointestinal bleeding and with further evaluation was diagnosed with malignant jejunal gastrointestinal stromal tumour. Patient was taken up for resection of tumour , following which she underwent adjuvant chemotherapy. The patient remains asymptomatic and shows no signs of recurrence six months after surgery. For all rare cancers, the clinical goal should be to achieve timely diagnosis in patients exhibiting symptoms and/or signs of the disease, as this can improve the patient's prognosis.