Published online Jan 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i3.863
Revised: November 25, 2013
Accepted: January 2, 2014
Published online: January 21, 2014
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal tumors that arise from the gastrointestinal tract. In rare cases, these tumors are found in intra-abdominal sites unrelated to the gastrointestinal tract, such as the mesentery, omentum and retroperitoneum. However, pancreatic extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumors are extremely rare, with only 14 previous cases reported. A 61-year-old man with no clinical symptoms had a routine check-up, during which an abdominal mass located in the pancreas tail was detected. Abdominal surgery was performed with resection of the pancreas tail and the spleen, and he was diagnosed with low-risk GISTs. Another 60-year-old man with no clinical symptoms underwent Computed tomography which revealed a well-demarcated tumor, 6 cm in diameter, in the head of the pancreas. He was diagnosed with pancreatic GISTs. Here, we describe two rare cases of pancreatic GISTs and review the cases previously reported in the literature.
Core tip: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) tend to arise with a higher frequency in the stomach and the small bowel. In fewer than 5% of cases, they originate primarily from EGISTs. Among them, pancreatic GIST is very rare, with only 14 previous cases reported. Here, we report two cases of malignant pancreatic GIST and review the cases previously reported in the literature.