Long-term survival of a patient after resection of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor arising from the pancreas

BACKGROUND:Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) may arise in any part of the gastrointestinal tract;extragastrointestinal locations are extremely rare.Only a few cases of extragastrointestinal stromal tumor arising from the pancreas were reported.None of the reports described a long-term follow-up of the patients.METHOD:This report describes an interesting and unusual case of GIST arising from the pancreas.RESULTS:A 74-year-old female presented with a palpable abdominal mass.CT scan showed a large mass 11×8×4 cm originating from the tail of the pancreas.Percutaneous biopsy revealed a GIST predominantly with spindle cells,but some parts also contained epitheloid cells.The patient was treated by distal pancreatic resection with splenectomy.Immunohistochemistry of the tumor showed a staining pattern characteristic of GIST.The patient has achieved a long-term survival of five years and six months without any sign of recurrence of the disease.CONCLUSION:This is the first reported case of an extragastrointestinal stromal tumor arising from the pancreas treated surgically,with a long-term survival.