Scroll Up
Scroll Down
Play Play Play Play
Unregistered User
Click here if this is not your Personal Edition
 
Contact Us | Free E-Mail Updates | Journals | Register a colleague
 
 
Oncology Other
 
   
 
SEARCH   
Doctor's Guide Free CME
Medline
Congress Resource Centre
 

 EXPLORE :
   Most Read News
 All News  All News
 All Webcasts / CME  All Webcasts / CME
 All Cases  All Cases
 Congress Resource Centre  Congress Resource Centre
 All Medical Resources  All Medical Resources
 Medical  My Personal Edition



Warning | Privacy

 

 
 Recent news - Oncology Other
    New Drug Regimen Shows Promising Results for Advanced Biliary-Tract Cancers - (DGNews)
    Cancer Incidence and Mortality After Treatment With Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 - (JAMA)
    Treatment With Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Associated With Increased Risk of Cancer, Death - (DGNews)
    Glans Resurfacing With Split-Thickness Skin Graft Helps Manage Benign and Malignant Conditions: Presented at ESSM - (DGDispatch)
    HDL Cholesterol Inversely Associated With Cancer Risk: Presented at AHA - (DGDispatch)

    News archive

     Recent webcasts/CME - Oncology Other
      Non-AIDS-Defining Cancers in Patients with HIV Infection
      Carcinoid Tumors of the Gastrointestinal Tract
      Cancer, Liver, Infections, Cardiovascular Disease, and other Biologic Agents
      Multidisciplinary Approach to Management of Neuroendocrine Tumors
      Cancer and Venous Thromboembolism: Current Clinical Issues

      Webcasts/CME archive

       Recent cases - Oncology Other
        Jejuno-Jejunal Invagination Caused by Epithelioid Sarcoma: A Case Report
        Thoracic Spinal Cord Compression Caused by Metastatic Pheochromocytoma
        Osseous Hemangioma of the Seventh Cervical Vertebra with Osteoid Formation Mimicking Metastasis: A Case Report
        Hypercalcemia in a Patient with Cholangiocarcinoma: A Case Report
        Difficult Diagnosis of Brainstem Glioblastoma Multiforme in a Woman: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

        Cases archive
          




        my personal edition > oncology other > news
        divider

          E-Mail this DGDispatch to a colleague

        DGDispatch


        Imatinib Highlights Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Task Force Report: Presented at NCCN

        By Mark Fuerst

        HOLLYWOOD, FL -- March 12, 2004 -- Revolutionary targeted therapy with imatinib (Gleevec) has led to revised treatment guidelines for a rare stomach cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).

        The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) introduced its Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) Task Force Report, an expansion on the network's Sarcoma Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. Though an uncommon cancer, GIST has been increasingly recognised after reports that imatinib, an oral cancer therapy that targets a molecular switch important to the tumor cells, could induce dramatic remissions and prolong survival for patients with advanced GIST.

        "The clinical care of patients with GIST has changed radically in the past few years thanks to the rapid evolution of research translating into new, effective therapeutic strategies," said George D. Demetri, MD, chair, GIST Task Force, and director of the Center for Sarcoma and Bone Oncology at Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The GIST Task Force Report represents the work of expert physicians from several disciplines, including pathology, surgery, medical oncology, and radiology. Advances in pathologic diagnosis, imaging technology, and treatment modalities have merged to significantly change the way clinicians of multiple specialties interact to care for patients with GIST as a coordinated team.

        Recommendations of the GIST Task Force Report were presented here March 11th at the NCCN 9th Annual Conference in Clinical Practice Guidelines and Outcomes Data in Oncology. The complete report will be published as a supplement to the May 2004 issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

        GIST is the most common form of gastrointestinal sarcoma. Recent data suggest that there are as many as 4,500 new cases of GIST per year in the United States. The Task Force Report notes that multiple clinical trials worldwide have consistently shown the efficacy of imatinib for GIST patients, with response rates for metastatic disease that typically exceed 65% and 1-year progression-free survival rates of about 70%.

        The report calls for an initial work-up that includes an abdominal/pelvic computed tomography (CT) scan with contrast, said Ronald DeMatteo, MD, an assistant member at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. "Surgery is still the best approach for easily resectable GIST," said Dr. DeMatteo. A post-operative pathology assessment is essential to confirm the diagnosis after removal of any suspected GIST, the report notes.

        If the GIST is unresectable or metastatic, therapy with imatinib 400 mg daily is recommended. Surgical debulking should be considered for any patient with progressing disease. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans show early metabolic changes and can help predict patient response to imatinib; they are recommended at baseline and after 2-4 weeks of therapy.

        Recurrent disease carries the same prognosis as metastatic disease and should also be treated with imatinib. "Management of metastatic GIST requires lifelong therapy," said Dr. Demetri. Clinical trials show that the overall survival of GIST patients receiving imatinib is equally good for those who have stable disease and for those who respond well, so "disease stability is a good marker for success," he said.

        The task force report recommends that widespread disease should be treated with imatinib in increasing doses, if necessary, and followed with regular assessments by CT and PET scans.


        Title: NCCN Task Force Report: Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST).



        E-Mail this DGDispatch to a colleague   To print, use this version






        All contents Copyright (c) 1995-2009 Doctor's Guide Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.



        The NTK initiative. Physicians helping physicians identify Need-To-Know science
           Feedback
        Please rate this article: Strongly DISAGREE...Strongly AGREE NTK logo
        Question 1 - Physicians need to become aware of this information as soon as possible. Question 2 - This information is likely to have an impact on the way physicians practice medicine.
        1
        2
        3
        4
        5
        6
        7
        Send