Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Learn about the signs and symptoms of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), the tests that are done to diagnose and stage the disease, and the outlook for people diagnosed with it.

Can GISTs be found early?

GISTs are not common. At this time, there are no recommended screening tests to look for GISTs in people without risk factors or symptoms.

If you have a genetic syndrome that increases your risk of GISTs, talk with your doctor about whether imaging tests or procedures might be recommended to detect tumors early and treat them.

Most GISTs are found because of symptoms a person is having, but some GISTs might be found early by chance. Sometimes a GIST might be found on an imaging test or procedure, like a colonoscopy, done for another reason.

What are the signs and symptoms of GISTs?

Some GISTs cause no symptoms and are found by chance when a test is done for another reason.

More common symptoms of GISTs include:

• Vomiting blood, which can be bright red blood or blood that is partly digested and looks like coffee grounds
• Blood in the stool, which might be bright red blood in or on the stool or digested blood, which makes the stool look darker brown or black
• Belly pain or discomfort, which might be severe
• A lump or swelling in the belly

GISTs can also cause low energy, low appetite, or weight loss. Large tumors can block the GI tract or cause damage to the wall of the GI tract, which can be life-threatening and needs treatment right away.

Any of these symptoms could have other causes, but it’s important to check with your health care team so they can find and treat the cause.

How is a GIST diagnosed?

Depending on the location or size of the tumor, diagnosing a GIST might involve physical exams, imaging and blood tests, an endoscopy, and a biopsy of the tumor.

If your health care team suspects you have a GIST, they will do more detailed tests on the tumor sample and might recommend more imaging tests to know if the tumor has spread and the best treatment plan.

Some of these tests might also be used to track how well treatment is working.

Staging and outlook for GISTs

After a GIST diagnosis, many people want to know what to expect. Your cancer care team can use several factors, such as the stage and location of your cancer, how quickly the cells are dividing (mitotic rate), and whether the tumor has ruptured or spread, to help understand your outlook.

Survival rates are a way to measure how many people survive a certain type of cancer over time. These are often reported as 5-year survival rates. This refers to the percentage of people who live at least 5 years after their cancer diagnosis. Of course, many people live much longer.