RAPID GROWTH OF A HIGH-RISK GASTROINTESTINAL STROMAL TUMOR OF THE STOMACH DETECTED DURING SURVEILLANCE OF A SMALL GASTRIC SUBMUCOSAL TUMOR: A CASE REPORT

Abstract

A 67-year-old man was referred to our hospital for evaluation of rapid growth in a small gastric submucosal tumor (SMT) during annual surveillance. Endoscopy revealed a large SMT with a giant ulcer in the fornix of the stomach. Evaluation of biopsy specimens confirmed diagnosis of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), and we performed partial gastrectomy. Histopathological evaluation of the resected specimen revealed a high-risk GIST. Clinically, small gastric SMTs that show rapid growth are rare; however, most such SMTs are categorized as high-risk GISTs. Although rare, rapid growth detected during surveillance should be considered a clinically significant change. We report a rare case of a rapidly progressive high-risk gastric GIST, together with a literature review.