Prognostic factors in surgically managed gastrointestinal stromal tumours.

OBJECTIVE: To determine prognostic factors associated with survival in patients with surgically managed gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). METHODS: This retrospective study included 374 patients with pathologically confirmed GISTs. Medical records were reviewed and prognostic factors associated with adverse outcomes were determined. RESULTS: A total of 337 patients underwent complete resection with curative intent; 37 underwent incomplete resection. Overall mean survival time was 127.3 months; 5-year survival rate was 70.4%. Multivariate analyses determined that tumour size, risk status (of recurrence or metastasis) and surgical procedure were significant predictive factors for survival. There was a significant difference in the 5-year survival rate between patients who received adjuvant imatinib compared with those who did not (75.1% versus 13.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with GISTs managed by surgical resection combined with targeted chemotherapy had a good prognosis. Clinical factors predictive of survival included tumour size, risk status and surgical procedure.