Vol. 6 Issue 2 Part B

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. They should be differentiated from other types of mesenchymal tumours. GISTs harbour specific activating mutations in the KIT or platelet-derived growth factor receptor a (PDGFRA) receptor tyrosine kinases, which makes them responsive to pharmacologic inhibitors. The advances in the identification of GISTs, by its molecular and immunohistochemical basis, have led to a better understanding of the rare gastrointestinal tract tumours with predictable behaviour and outcome, replacing the older terminologies like leiomyoma, schwannoma or leiomyosarcoma. This report presents a case of 64 yr. old male recently operated on for a rare sclerosing epithelioid variant of the gastrointestinal tumour.