Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor - GIST (3 of 13)

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors formely classified as leiomyomas or leiomyosarcomas are mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract that differ from true Leiomyomas and Leiomyosarcomas. Classification of mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract has been the ၳubject of controversies for many years and several histological classification system has been proposed. GIST are now defined as spindle cell, epitheloid or occasionally pleomorphic mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract without smooth muscle cell or schwann cell differentiation The term GIST is also limited to tumors originating from pacemaker cell of Cajal located between myenteric plexus cells and smooth muscle cells of the GIT. The immuno-histo chemical marker 'C-Kit' (CD-117) identifies these cell and seems to be the most specific diagnostic marker currently available.