Clinical applications of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the esophagus
Sakai, M.; Kato, H.; Saito, K.; Tanaka, N.; Inose, T.; Kimura, H.; Miyazaki, T.; Kuwano, H.
International Surgery 93(4): 209-213
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0020-8868 PMID: 19731855 Document Number: 616858
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Esophageal GISTs are very rare, but recognition of esophageal GISTs has been increasing recently. We report a patient with an esophageal GIST that showed increased uptake on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET). In this case, preoperative diagnosis was assumed to be esophageal cancer, but postoperative histopathological and immunohistochemical examination showed it to be a malignant GIST. We also found an activating mutation of kit in this patient; the mutation type was an in-frame deletion of a portion of the juxtamembrane domain (exon11). FDG-PET is useful not only for evaluating the bioactivity but also the malignant potential of esophageal GISTs.