Evaluating the Incidence, Survival Outcomes of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

While research has demonstrated an increase in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) following the use of GIST-specific histology coding in 2001, there is a current lack of knowledge surrounding updated data and trends.

A study from Christian S. Alvarez, PhD, and colleagues published in JAMA Network sought to determine the epidemiology of GISTs across major organ sites.

The population-based cohort study analyzed nationally representative data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Researchers specifically used data from the SEER-22 and SEER-17 registries, which included data collected from January 2000 to December 2019.

Of the 23001 patients in the SEER-22 dataset, 9.7% were Asian or Pacific Islander, 12.3% were Hispanic, 19.6% were non-Hispanic Black, and 57.7% were non-Hispanic White.

Dr. Alvarez and colleagues reported that in SEER-22, the overall incidence rates of GISTs demonstrated a substantial increase in all organ sites except for the colon (esophagus, 7.3%; gastric, 5.1%; small intestine, 2.7%; colon, -0.2%, rectum, 1.9%). Increase trends were similar across age group, sex, race, and ethnicity. Investigators noted that any cases of increase were mainly localized stage disease.

Among the 12,109 patients in the SEER-17 dataset, 13.3% were Asian or Pacific Islander, 11.6% were Hispanic, 17.8% were non-Hispanic Black, and 56.6% were non-Hispanic White.

Of the dataset, Non-Hispanic Black patients experienced increased overall mortality for esophageal and gastric GISTS when compared with non-Hispanic White patients.

“In this cohort study using SEER data, the incidence of GISTs in major organ sites increased in the last 2 decades among several population groups,” the researchers wrote. “These findings suggest that additional studies are warranted to identify risk factors, because histologic reclassification and higher availability of endoscopy and imaging do not fully explain these unfavorable incidence trends. Prevention efforts are needed to reduce the substantial survival disparities among racial and ethnic minoritized populations.”