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World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. Sep 22, 2022; 13(5): 170-177
Published online Sep 22, 2022. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v13.i5.170
COVID-19 in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors: Recommendations for management and vaccination
Violeta Snegarova, Dimitrina Miteva, Milena Gulinac, Monika Peshevska-Sekulovska, Hristiana Batselova, Tsvetelina Velikova
Violeta Snegarova, Clinic of Internal Diseases, Naval Hospital – Varna, Military Medical Academy, Medical Faculty, Medical University, Varna 9000, Bulgaria
Dimitrina Miteva, Faculty of Biology, Department of Genetics, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Sofia 1164, Bulgaria
Milena Gulinac, Department of General and Clinical Pathology, Medical Faculty, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv 4000, Bulgaria
Monika Peshevska-Sekulovska, Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Lozenetz, Sofia 1407, Bulgaria
Monika Peshevska-Sekulovska, Tsvetelina Velikova, Medical Faculty, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Sofia 1407, Others, Bulgaria
Hristiana Batselova, Department of Epidemiology and Disaster Medicine, Medical University, Plovdiv, University Hospital "St George", Plovdiv 6000, Bulgaria
Tsvetelina Velikova, Department of Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Lozenetz, Sofia 1407, Bulgaria
Author contributions: Snegarova V, Miteva D and Velikova T conceptualized the idea; Snegarova V and Miteva D reviewed the literature and wrote the draft; Gulinac M, Batselova H, Peshevska-Sekulovska M, and Velikova T contributed to reviewing the literature and manuscript drafting; Velikova T and all authors were responsible for critically revising the manuscript for relevant intellectual content; All of the authors approved the final version of the paper before submission.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Tsvetelina Velikova, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Chief Doctor, Department of Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Lozenetz, Kozyak 1 Street, Sofia 1407, Bulgaria. tsvelikova@medfac.mu-sofia.bg
Received: March 26, 2022
Peer-review started: March 26, 2022
First decision: May 11, 2022
Revised: June 20, 2022
Accepted: August 16, 2022
Article in press: August 16, 2022
Published online: September 22, 2022
Processing time: 179 Days and 9.4 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Even under normal operating conditions, appropriate monitoring and treating patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) require complex decision-making. Given the growing number of deaths worldwide and the failure of many countries to control the pandemic, vaccination against COVID-19 in these patients must be accelerated. The data show no significant difference in the efficacy of vaccines for the GIST population compared to that of other cancers. Vaccination between cycles of therapy and after waiting periods for patients with stem cell transplantation and immunoglobulin therapy can be used to reduce the risks while protecting patients from risk groups.