TriangleFOR PATIENTS · SOURCE READING
Treatment of Metastatic and Recurrent Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors
Source: Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Treatment (Adult) (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: August 28, 2020 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.
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Treatment of GISTs that are metastatic (spread to other parts of the body) or recurrent (came back after treatment) may include the following:
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Targeted therapy with imatinib mesylate.
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Targeted therapy with sunitinib, if the tumor begins to grow during imatinib mesylate therapy or if the side effects are too bad.
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Surgery to remove tumors that have been treated with targeted therapy and are shrinking, stable (not changing), or that have slightly increased in size. Targeted therapy may continue after surgery.
Surgery to remove tumors when there are serious complications, such as bleeding, a hole in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, a blocked GI tract, or infection.
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A clinical trial of a new treatment.
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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice