Coincidental Detection of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors During Laparoscopic Bariatric Procedures—Data and Treatment Strategy of a German Reference Center

Localized Excision of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) After Sleeve Gastrectomy: Highlighting a Sleeve-Preserving Surgical Approach

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are relatively rare, accounting for approximately 0.1-3% of all gastrointestinal tumors. Their incidence is higher in individuals aged 50 to 70 years, with an equal gender distribution. Due to their diverse clinical presentations, including upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and gastric discomfort, along with an indolent growth pattern, GISTs can remain undetected for extended periods. This delay in diagnosis can lead to complications. Diagnosis involves upper GI endoscopy, computed tomography (CT) scan, biopsy with histologic grading, and immunohistochemical testing for CD-117 and CD34. The higher incidence of GISTs in patients with obesity underscores the need for preoperative upper GI endoscopic screening.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 31-year-old female with a history of sleeve gastrectomy (SG) for obesity (BMI 38 kg/m2) presented 13 months postoperatively with recurrent hematemesis, epigastric fullness, and pain radiating to the back. Despite medical management, including proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), her symptoms persisted. Upper GI endoscopy revealed a polypoidal mass at the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ). Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) indicated that the lesion originated from the muscularis propria. A contrast-enhanced CT scan confirmed the presence of a polypoid mass without extra-luminal extension, raising suspicion of GIST. The patient underwent laparoscopic resection of the tumor using a sleeve-preserving approach. The tumor was excised with a 1-cm margin of normal tissue, ensuring complete resection with negative margins confirmed by the frozen section. The gastric defect was closed with interrupted sutures, and a 38-Fr gastric tube was placed to maintain luminal patency. The patient had an uneventful recovery, with minimal drain output, and was discharged on postoperative day 3 with continued PPI therapy. Histopathological examination confirmed a low-risk GIST. At 1-year follow-up, the patient remained asymptomatic with no recurrence.

CONCLUSION

Early detection and sleeve-preserving resection of GISTs in post-sleeve gastrectomy patients ensure effective tumor management while maintaining gastric integrity. This case highlights the importance of preoperative evaluation and long-term follow-up in these patients.

Incidental GIST in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review of Incidence and Management

BACKGROUND

There has been a rapid increase in prevalence of obesity, and bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment to reduce all-cause mortality. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) comprise approximately 1% of GI tumors and are the most commonly encountered incidental tumor at the time of bariatric surgery. They have a reported prevalence of approximately 0.5%; however, there are no established guidelines for incidental GISTs.

METHODS

This study performed a systematic literature search using PubMed to identify 100 articles from 2005 to 2023 on incidental GIST tumors found during bariatric operations.

RESULTS

Total prevalence of GISTs was 0.54% with an average size of 7.04 mm. Management of these lesions should prioritize negative margins with the least invasive resection. Tumors able to be resected without alteration to bariatric surgery should be managed with a complete wedge resection prioritizing negative margins. In tumors where resection requires alteration to bariatric surgical plan, the decision to proceed with resection and alteration of bariatric surgical plan should be made only if previous discussions have been made with patient. Lastly, if resection of the GIST precludes the ability to perform the bariatric procedure, consideration to resect the GIST with the goal of negative margins should be prioritized with a plan to discuss future bariatric procedures after.

CONCLUSION

The goal of this paper is to remind bariatric surgeons to be aware of GISTs and provide the possible approaches to management.

Can Incidental Gastric GISTs During Bariatric Surgeries Change the Primary Plan of Surgery? A Single Team Experience and a Systematic Review of Literature

As bariatric surgeries (BS) increase, more incidental findings are liable to be discovered. Incidental gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) during BS can be found in around 0.7% of the cases. In this article, we have performed a systematic review of the literature and added our data to those of the review to review a conceptual treatment strategy to both improve patient outcomes and decrease the risk of overall cancer. With the rise of new bariatric techniques, we have proposed a new classification to BS to enhance our description of the treatment strategy.

Incidental Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) During Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedures: a Retrospective Study

PURPOSE

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most frequently occurring form of mesenchymal tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a commonly performed bariatric operation in which a portion of the gastric body and fundus is removed and sent for pathological examination. Increasingly, bariatric surgeons have incidentally identified neoplasms in the excised portion of the stomach. The aim of this study is to explore the incidence of GIST in obese patients undergoing LSG.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a single-center, single-surgeon retrospective case series which included 305 obese patients who underwent LSG. All excised stomach specimens were sent for pathologic analysis.. In the case of pathologically verified GIST (n = 6; 1.97%), detailed analysis was performed.

RESULTS

In 305 LSG procedures, six cases of GIST (1.97%) were identified. The tumors were measured between 1 and 7 mm and were all low grade with negative resection margins. The mean BMI was 46.38 ± 3.94 kg/m2 (range: 41.61-51.77). The mean age at time of surgery was 55.33 ± 12.9 years (range: 37-73 years). All cases were asymptomatic and showed no evidence of metastatic disease.

CONCLUSION

The incidental rate of GIST in the excised portion of the stomach in our 305 obese patients who underwent LSG is 6/305 (1.97%). This adds relevant data to the overall goal of determining whether obesity is a risk factor for GIST. Radical surgical resection of these tumors with adequate disease-free margins performed on a low-grade malignancy serves as a definitive oncological treatment, especially when there is an intact pseudocapsule.

The Incidence of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors in Obese Patients—A Large Single Center Experience

Background and Objectives: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare mesenchymal neoplasms located mainly in the fundus (60–70%). The incidence of GIST is approximately 10 per million population per year in Europe, with a peak incidence at the age of 63. Recent studies suggest that morbidly obese patients have a higher incidence of GIST than the general population. The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence of GIST in patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in our department. Materials and Methods: this paper present the retrospective study of prospectively collected data of 1564 patients who underwent LSG in a single large bariatric center from October 2013 to September 2021. After surgery, each sample of the resected stomach was sent for histopathological examination. For the analysis, we included patients diagnosed with GIST intraoperatively or postoperatively. Results: GISTs were found in five patients (0.31%). There were three men and two women. The mean age was 50.2 (range 32–63 ± 11.8) and the mean preoperative body mass index was 43.3 kg/m² (40–49.4 ± 3.2). In four cases, GISTs were found in the fundus (80%), and in one in the pylorus (20%). None of the tumors were larger than 7 mm in diameter and all were diagnosed as a very low-risk category. No adjuvant treatment was required. All patients achieved good or satisfactory bariatric and metabolic results. Conclusions: The incidence of GIST in our study was estimated at 0.31%. All patients had a very low-risk GIST and no recurrence until follow-up. Recent literature suggests that the risk of GIST is higher in the obese population, and therefore surgeons should be aware of the risk of incidental GIST during LSG.

A Case of Accidentally Found Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor in a 57-Year-Old Candidate of Gastric Bypass Surgery

INTRODUCTION

GIST tumors are the most common mesenchymal tumors in the alimentary tract but are rather rare compared to other GI tract tumors and are usually found incidentally. Studies about cases of GIST tumor in bariatric surgery are scarce and there is no specific guideline for treatment. Most of previous cases were managed by sleeve gastrectomy due to their location which were usually in the body and greater curvature.

METHODS

This patient had a GIST on lesser curvature and therefore underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y bypass. The follow-up was done with imaging studies and CT scan since the location of the tumor was no longer accessible to endoscopy after the gastric bypass.

RESULTS

The post-operative course was uneventful and after 2 years the patient is still in good health and had no other complications. The patient has been followed up by imaging studies.

DISCUSSION

There are pros and cons to this compared with sleeve gastrectomy. The most important advantage for this approach is that we have the stomach preserved; thus, our operation has the reversibility potential in case of any complication which requires revision operations. However, on the flip side, the limitation of such intervention is that we are not able to use the EGD to monitor and follow up our patient. Based on the relevant literature, for following up and monitoring the postoperative condition of these patients with relatively small GISTs, imaging studies specially abdominal computed tomography scan (CT scan) would be highly beneficial. It is also worth of mentioning that performing a EGD before a bariatric surgery, which is well noted in IFSO position statements and is well explained and discussed in other literature, had a major role in diagnosing this patient's GIST tumor and is proved to be beneficial and essential, once again.

Assessment of Systemic Inflammation and Nutritional Indicators in Predicting Recurrence-Free Survival After Surgical Resection of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Background

Recent studies have shown that the systemic inflammation and nutritional indicators are prognostic for a variety of malignancies. However, only limited data have so far demonstrated their usefulness in gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors (GIST).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the data of GIST patients who underwent radical surgery in Beijing hospital from October 2004 to July 2018. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to compare several commonly used inflammatory and nutritional indicators. The indicators with largest AUC were further analysis. Optimal cut-off values of those indicators in predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) were determined. Kaplan-Meier curve and the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess the prognostic values. We then used univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to identify prognostic factors that were associated with RFS.

Results

In total, 160 patients who underwent surgery for GIST were included in the study. The median survival time was 34.5 months, with 1-, 3-, and 5-year RFS rates of 96.1%, 84.7%, and 80.8%, respectively. The inflammatory and nutritional indicators with largest AUC were Systemic immunoinflammatory Index (SII) and Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index (GNRI), reached 0.650 and 0.713, respectively. The optimal cutoff of GNRI and SII were 98.3, and 820.0, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that GNRI, SII, KI67, surgery method, tumor location, tumor size, and mitotic index were all significant prognostic indicators of RFS. After multivariate Cox analysis, independent prognostic factors for RFS in GIST included tumor location, mitotic index, tumor size, and GNRI (HR=2.802,95% CI: 1.045 to 7.515, p = 0.041). Besides, SII also tended to be associated with RFS (HR = 2.970, 95% CI: 0.946 to 9.326, p = 0.062).

Conclusions

High GNRI is an independent prognostic factor for RFS in GIST, while SII can be considered as a prognostic factor. GNRI and SII can be used as tools to evaluate the prognosis of patients before surgery, helping doctors to better treat high-risk patients.

Characteristics of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors incidentally discovered during abdominal surgery

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GISTs) are rare sarcomas with 5000 new cases arising in the United States each year. Despite their low incidence, general surgeons should be familiar with GISTs since a quarter of these neoplasms are encountered incidentally.

METHODS

A retrospective medical records review was conducted to create a database of all GISTs resected from January 2005 to May 2019. We isolated patients who had incidental discovery of GISTs intraoperatively or within final pathology. Characteristics of patient (Age, gender), index procedure (malignant vs. benign, elective vs. emergent) and tumor (location, size and mitotic rate) were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total 48 patients were incidentally discovered to have a GIST excised during index operation. The mean age of these patients was 62 years, with 27 females and 21 males. The primary location of tumors in descending frequency was stomach (30), small bowel (15), colon/rectum (2) and esophagus (1). The average size of all tumors was 1.2 cm, with the average size of the stomach, small bowel, colon/rectum and esophagus at 0.9 cm, 1.7 cm, 0.9 cm and 0.3 cm respectively. Mitotic rate was less than 5 mitosis per 50 HPF in 96% of patients. Incidental tumors were identified during both bariatric (13) and non-bariatric stomach surgery (8), colorectal surgery (14), hernia repair (4), ampullary/pancreatic surgery (5), esophageal surgery (2) liver surgery (1) and uterine surgery (1). Most incidental-GISTs were identified during elective surgery (81%, 39). Finally, 15 of the tumors were identified during surgery for other malignancies.

CONCLUSIONS

One quarter (25%) of the GISTs encountered at our academic community cancer center over a 15-year period were discovered incidentally. These tumors had less malignant characteristics overall and were likely cured with surgical resection.

An Unexpected Finding of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors During Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy; How to Deal? How Much Safety Margin Needed?

Background: There is an increasing incidence of coincidental gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) during a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Resection with negative margin R0 is the safest and most proper treatment. Objectives: The incidence of GIST in patients undergoing LSG and resection with a 1- to 2-cm safety margin was validated and analyzed. The primary endpoint is that can simultaneous excision be oncologically adequate or not? How much GIST is supposed to be far from a staple line? Methods: The present prospective study included 338 patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35. All patients underwent LSG without known history or imaging reveal GIST. Resection was done with a safety margin of 1 to 2 cm away from the stapled margin and, then, sent for histopathology and immunohistochemically staining. Results: A total of 17 patients (5%) had coincidental GIST. The size was T1 in 88.2% of patients; 16 patients were staged as IA according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC TNM). Safety margin was ≤ 1 cm for 3 patients to avoid incorporation in staple line and 14 patients (82.3%) had 2 cm safety margin. Resection margin in biopsy revealed positive resection margin R1 for 2 patients, whose safety margin was only 1 cm or less. A total of 15 patients had a negative margin (R0), whose safety margin was 2 cm. Conclusions: Any incidental GIST can be removed safely during LSG as long as it is far from the staple line with at least a 2-cm safety margin and negative resection margins without changing the procedure. Margins less than 1 cm are associated with adverse prognostic factors.

Trends in bariatric surgery and incidentalomas at a single institution in Saudi Arabia: a retrospective study and literature review

BACKGROUND

Data are lacking on trends in bariatric surgery and the frequency of incidental findings in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE

Report on trends in bariatric surgery as well as our experience in incidental findings along with a literature review (mainly on gastrointestinal stromal tumor).

DESIGN

Retrospective chart and literature review.

SETTINGS

Academic tertiary care center.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study at King Khalid University Hospital and analyzed the data collected from 2009 to 2019. We collected data on age, body mass index (BMI), H pylori infection, type of bariatric surgery performed, and type and location of incidental findings.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Incidental findings during or after bariatric surgery (in pathology specimen).

SAMPLE SIZE

3052 bariatric surgeries, 46 patients with incidentalomas.

RESULTS

The mean and standard deviation for the age of the 46 patients with incidentalomas was 42.1 (13.9) years and the mean (SD) preoperative BMI was 43.4 (6.4) kg/m². Of 3052 bariatric surgeries performed, the most common type was sleeve gastrectomy (93.9%), followed by gastric bypass surgery (4.58%) and gastric banding (1.47%). The total frequency of incidentalomas was 1.5%; 10.8% of patients had gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), with the stomach being the commonest site for incidental findings. Eighty percent of the patients with GIST were positive for H pylori (P=.01 vs negative patients).

CONCLUSION

The number of incidentalomas and other findings were consistent with other reports. All these findings suggest that bariatric surgeons should take special care before, during, and after a laparoscopic operation in obese patients.

LIMITATIONS

Since this is a single-center, retrospective study, we did not collect data on important variables such as gender, socioeconomic status of the patient, and family history of obesity, and we did not perform a preoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

None.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy performed in a morbidly obese patient with gastrointestinal stromal tumor: a case report and literature review

Background

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most frequent submucosal tumor, and with advancements of diagnostic modalities, the incidence of GIST cases diagnosed have increased. Similarly, prevalence of morbid obesity has also rapidly increased over the past decade. Notably, the incidence of GIST in obese patients was reported to be more frequent as compared to the general population. Despite local resection being the first choice for GIST treatment, extensive surgery should also be considered depending on the tumor size and location. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), the most popular bariatric procedure, could also be a concomitant treatment option for both morbid obesity and GIST when the tumor is contained within LSG the excision range. There are, however, few reports about LSG planned for GIST preoperatively.

Case presentation

A morbidly obese 46-year-old Japanese male (body weight of 105.4 kg, body mass index (BMI) of 36.6 kg/m²) was diagnosed with an intramural GIST in the gastric fundus. Because of his extreme visceral fat dominated obesity (visceral fat area of 386 cm²), in addition to the size and location of the tumor, we determined that it would be difficult to perform local resection. We planned LSG as a concomitant treatment for both GIST and morbid obesity. After the preoperative examination and 6 months of weight control, the patient lost enough weight to undergo LSG safely. Keeping enough distance away from the tumor, which we observed with an endoscope, we performed LSG to successfully resect the tumor. The patient was discharged uneventfully. Weight loss was successful as his BMI was 21.0 kg/m² at 3 months post-surgery.

Conclusion

We successfully performed LSG in a morbidly obese patient with a large GIST. This is the largest GIST concomitantly resected with LSG reported within current literature.

Preoperative Upper-GI Endoscopy Prior to Bariatric Surgery: Essential or Optional?

Introduction

The role of preoperative upper-gastrointestinal (GI) gastroscopy has been discussed with controversy in bariatric surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of upper-GI pathologies detected via endoscopy prior to bariatric surgery along with their clinical significance for patients’ management.

Material and Methods

In our single center prospectively established database of obese patients, who underwent bariatric surgery from January 2011 to December 2017, we retrospectively analyzed the perioperative endoscopic findings along with their influence on patients’ management.

Results

In total, 636 obese patients with median BMI (body mass index) of 49 kg/m² [range 31–92] received an upper-GI endoscopy prior to bariatric surgery. Among the surgical procedures, laparoscopic Roux-Y-gastric bypass (72.6%; n = 462) was the most frequent operation. Endoscopically detected pathological conditions were peptic ulcer 3.5% (22/636), Helicobacter pylori (Hp) gastritis 22.4% (143/636), and gastric or duodenal polyps 6.8% (43/636). Reflux esophagitis could be detected in 139/636 patients (21.9%). Barrett’s esophagus (BE) was histologically diagnosed in 95 cases (15.0%), whereas BE was suspected endoscopically in 75 cases (11.3%) only. Esophageal adenocarcinomas were detected in 3 cases (0.5%). Change of the operative strategy due to endoscopically or histologically detected pathologic findings had to be performed in 10 cases (1.6%).

Conclusion

Preoperative upper-GI endoscopy identifies a wide range of abnormal endoscopic findings in obese patients, which may have a significant impact on decision-making, particularly regarding the most suitable bariatric procedure and the appropriate follow-up. Therefore, preoperative upper-GI endoscopy should be considered in all obese patients prior to bariatric procedure.