Molecular and genetic features of gastrointestinal stromal tumors

In this review presented the most relevant scientific information on the molecular and genetic features of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). GISTs is a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract, which according to modern ideas originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal. It was found that this disease is largely somatic mutations: in the overwhelming majority of cases, activating mutations in kit or PDGFRA genes that encode effector tyrosine kinases are found in tumor cells. Constitutive activation of these enzymes triggers a complex cascade of intracellular reactions, the result of which is the enhancement of cell proliferation and tumor growth. In the absence of the above-mentioned driver mutations, the GISTs is referred to as a “wild type”. The profile of mutations affects the aggressiveness of the GISTs flow and the sensitivity to target antitumor drugs. Thus, carrying out a mutational analysis in the case of a GISTs is of great prognostic significance.