In an interview, Dr. Rosario Ligresti highlighted what sufferers with gastrointestinal stromal tumors, or GIST, ought to know upon beginning therapy.
In an interview with CURE, Dr. Rosario Ligresti, the chief of Gastroenterology and Interventional Endoscopy at Hackensack Meridian Well being, highlighted what sufferers with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) ought to know upon beginning therapy.
He shared new developments in therapy, mentioned the simplest methods sufferers can handle treatment-related uncomfortable side effects, and famous how sufferers can keep well-informed about their illness.
Tune in to our earlier dialog with Ligresti the place he mentioned the widespread indicators and signs of GIST, in addition to defined how the therapy panorama has modified for sufferers.
CURE: What new therapies or advances ought to sufferers with GIST concentrate on?
A very powerful factor you are able to do for these sufferers if you first see them is to carry out mutational profiling. You’re taking a bit of the tumor tissue and search for these particular gene mutations. Why does this matter? As a result of it actually helps you decide which remedy shall be simplest for these tumors. That is what has actually modified on this subject, and it is emblematic of all of oncology now.
We’re being very exact concerning the mutation that the affected person’s tumor has, whereas up to now, therapy was very broad-spectrum and generic. That is now focused particularly to the tumor that the affected person has.
What are the simplest methods sufferers residing with GIST can handle treatment-related uncomfortable side effects and keep their high quality of life throughout remedy?
Rather a lot will rely upon the place the tumor is positioned. For instance, if there is a very giant tumor within the abdomen and the affected person’s presenting signs are stomach ache and bleeding, the therapy may be very usually completed regionally on the tumor web site. Sufferers can have surgical procedure, a sort of localized surgical procedure, whether or not it is laparoscopic or robotic, to take away the piece of the abdomen that has the tumor. This provides sufferers rapid reduction.
If sufferers have a illness that may’t be readily handled surgically, you possibly can theoretically use some ablation remedy, which is a sort of endoscopically pushed needle remedy. You can too do embolization therapies. Finally, we discuss utilizing these oncologic therapies for illness that’s exterior of 1 specific space, all of which issues rather a lot as a result of these tumors have numerous native uncomfortable side effects. You may obtain numerous native management for sufferers, and the signs pushed by these native uncomfortable side effects may be palliated and even handled very successfully.
Once more, the larger drawback is when these tumors have unfold considerably, however that is the place these medicines actually do assist. Amongst all of the GI tumors I see, these most likely reply the quickest and the perfect to those sorts of therapies. When you goal that molecular change in these tumors, they usually cease rising very, very quickly, and generally they regress dramatically. So, you will take a affected person who has numerous cumbersome illness and provides them a few of these medicines (there are three which might be FDA-approved now) and these tumors simply cease lifeless of their tracks. They’re very, very depending on these molecular alterations for progress.
Once more, there are numerous choices within the armamentarium of the oncologist and the gastroenterologist to supply sufferers. It is a kind of tumors the place you are not comfortable to see it, however on the identical time, if somebody goes to have a abdomen tumor, you’d moderately it’s this one as a result of there are literally very efficient therapies for it.
What steerage are you able to provide sufferers newly identified with GIST on accessing assist assets, looking for second opinions, and staying well-informed about their care?
The nice factor is that there are some superb assist teams for this. It is not widespread to seek out assist teams for each uncommon tumor, however GIST and different uncommon tumors actually have assist teams out there.
One in every of these assist teams is named GIST Collectively, a grassroots group of essential advocates for sufferers with this illness. I am amazed at how a lot info they will provide sufferers, in addition to basic assist. Their web site is filled with details about side-effect administration, out there therapy choices, and even hyperlinks to cutting-edge trials for this illness.
There are actually assist assets out there. Clearly, this all stems again to having an excellent rapport together with your oncologist and gastroenterologist to allow them to information you thru the whole lot. The remedy is mostly very extended, so that you wish to have an excellent relationship together with your therapy group and most cancers middle.
Once more, remember the fact that these are very unusual tumors which might be greatest handled by individuals who see numerous them. These are usually not your common oncology tumors. Having stated that, experience issues, and for these specific tumors, that are so unusual, you wish to go to the individuals who see numerous them.
Reference
- “Skilled Oncologist Breaks Down the Present Remedy Panorama of GIST,” by Ryan Scott. CURE, August 19, 2025; https://www.curetoday.com/view/expert-oncologist-breaks-down-the-current-treatment-landscape-of-gist
Transcript has been edited for readability and conciseness.
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