The Characteristics of Esophageal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor

Background An esophageal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) has been reported to be a rare disease compared with GIST of other origins. As the number of esophageal GISTs is limited, the characteristics of esophageal GIST have yet to be clarified. Esophagectomy is one of the difficult surgeries and we should carefully decide the indication of operation for esophageal GIST. In this study, we aimed to clarify the characteristics of this rare disease. Methods We reviewed the patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal GIST between January 2012 and December 2024. We compared the clinical and pathological results including the tumor size and mitotic counts. Results Six patients received esophagectomy. All patients were diagnosed with GIST preoperatively. Among the 6 patients, 1 patient underwent neoadjuvant treatment. Four patients were male and the median age was 72.5 years old. The median tumor size was 60 mm and all tumors were located in the lower esophagus. The median follow-up period was 25.7 months and 2 patients recurred. The median tumor size between recurred or not recurred patients was 70 mm and 52 mm, respectively. Mitotic counts were 5/50HPF or more in all patients except the patients with neoadjuvant treatment. Conclusion We could diagnose the disease in all patients. It would be important to diagnose esophageal submucosal tumor preoperatively. We cannot confirm the conclusion due to the small number, tumor size and mitotic counts might affect the prognosis. Further studies are required.