Published online Dec 27, 2013. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v5.i12.332
Revised: October 19, 2013
Accepted: November 18, 2013
Published online: December 27, 2013
A 65-year old woman was admitted to our hospital with abdominal pain. Computed tomography showed a tumor measuring about 3 cm in diameter with no metastatic lesion or signs of local infiltration. Gastroduodenal endoscopy revealed the presence of a submucosal tumor in the third portion of the duodenum and biopsy revealed tumor cells stained positive for c-kit. These findings were consistent with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) and we performed a wedge resection of the duodenum, sparing the pancreas. The postoperative course was uneventful and she was discharged on day 6. Surgical margins were negative. Histology revealed a GIST with a diameter of 3.2 cm and < 5 mitoses/50 high power fields, indicating a low risk of malignancy. Therefore, adjuvant therapy with imatinib was not initiated. Wedge resection with primary closure is a surgical procedure that can be used to treat low malignant potential neoplasms of the duodenum and avoid extensive surgery, with significant morbidity and possible mortality, such as pancreatoduodenectomy.
Core tip: Duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are uncommon, with a relatively small subset of GISTs whose optimal surgical procedure has not been well defined. Because submucosal spread and local lymph node involvement is infrequent in GISTs, wide margins with routine lymph node dissection may not be required. Various techniques of limited resection for duodenal GISTs have been described, depending on the site and the size of the tumors. Herein, we present a case of GIST involving the third portion of the duodenum successfully treated by wedge resection with primary closure.