Abstract
The patient was a woman in her 70s. In 1995, she underwent a partial resection of the small intestine because of a small intestine GIST. In February 2008, an abdominal ultrasonography performed during a health check-up detected an abdominal tumor ; therefore, the patient underwent detailed examination. Abdominal MRI and DWIBS were performed, and a mass with an abnormal signal intensity, measuring 2.6×3.4 cm, was detected on the left side of the abdominal aorta. In May of the same year, the mass was diagnosed as a retroperitoneal metastasis of the GIST, and the patient was administered imatinib, but she was later found to have rhabdomyolysis, and the treatment was discontinued. Subsequently, the tumor was resected, and operative findings and pathological findings led to the diagnosis of para-aortic lymph node metastasis of GIST. In February 2009, an MRI DWIBS revealed residual para-aortic lymph node involvement ; therefore, an extensive para-aortic lymphadenectomy was performed. Pathological examinations revealed metastasis to 2 lymph nodes. Currently, more than 1 year after surgery, follow-up shows no recurrence. In this communication, we report our experience with a surgical case of GIST, which showed recurrent metastases exclusively in the para-aortic lymph nodes 13 years after the initial surgery. The report also includes a discussion based on our literature review.
