Personalized Medicine in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST): Clinical Implications of the Somatic and Germline DNA Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. They are characterized by gain of function mutations in KIT or PDGFRA tyrosine kinase receptors, with their consequent constitutive activation. The gold standard therapy is imatinib that offers a good and stable response for approximately 18-36 months. However, resistance is very common and it is vital to identify new biomarkers. Up until now, there have been two main approaches with focus to characterize novel targets. On the one hand, the focus is on the tumor genome, as the final clinical outcome depends mainly from the cancer specific mutations/alterations patterns. However, the germline DNA is important as well, and it is inconceivable to think the patients response to the drug

SUBMITTER: Ravegnini G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4519915 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature