A clinicopathologic study of gastrointestinal stromal tumors:30 cases

Aim To investigate the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GISTs) and discuss their concepts and diagnostic standards.Method 30 cases of GISTs were studied by routine stain and immunohistochemistry.Results The GISTs showed two basic cell types-spindle and epithelioid.The neoplasms were classified as follows: 40% smooth muscle tumors;10% neurogenic differentiated tumors;20% mixed smooth muscle cell and neurogenic differentiated tumors;30% undifferentiated GISTs,not other specified.The immunophenotype of undifferentiated GISTs was vimentin and CD34(100%).In this study,the Liwin's criteria for the diagnoses of benign and malignant GISTs were applied.In the 30 cases,there were 15 cases benign,6 potential malignant and 11 malignant GISTs.Conclusion Despite their similar light microscopic appearance,GISTs are immunophenotypically heterogeneous,requiring immunohistochemical studies for accurate characterization.