RESUMEN
Introduction: although rare, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the digestive tract. The aim of this work is to study the clinical, paraclinical, therapeutic and evolutionary features of GIST. Methods: we conducted a descriptive retrospective, monocentric study (April 2017-April 2021) collecting data from the medical records of all patients with GIST treated at the medical oncology department of the University Hospital of Mostaganem. Results: we collected data from the medical records of 23 patients, with a median age of 54.4 years, sex ratio 1.8, over a period of 4 years. Abdominal pain was the most frequent symptom (78.3%, n=18); 47.8% of patients (n=11) had a tumor in the small bowel. The diagnosis was made at an early stage in 69.6% of cases (n=16). Surgical treatment was performed in 20 of the 23 patients, 18 of whom with R0. Of the 15 operated patients with a localized tumor, 13 received adjuvant medical treatment (Imatinib). Disease progression was reported in three patients treated with imatinib, then 2nd line therapy (Sunitinib) was started. During the study period, all patients were alive except two who died due to disease progression. Conclusion: the diagnosis of GIST is mainly based on histology and immunohistochemistry, which is often not performed by our pathologists. Molecular biology makes it possible to predict the prognosis and consequently adapt the therapies. The outcome of patients with GIST is often favorable but marked by recurrences despite a supposedly curative treatment requiring prolonged monitoring.