A liver metastasis 7 years after resection of a low-risk duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (dGISTs) are rare, and a lack of consensus exists regarding their treatment, particularly for recurrent disease. We herein report a rare case of liver metastasis 7 years after resection of a low-risk duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumor. A 45-year-old woman revealed positive fecal occult blood. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a submucosal duodenal tumor with ulceration and oozing on the apex. Endoscopic ultrasound showed a hypoechoic mass originating in the submucosa. Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a 30-mm hyper-vascular tumor in the duodenal bulb. The patient underwent partial resection of the duodenal bulb with distal gastrectomy, followed by Roux-en-Y reconstruction. Histopathological evaluation revealed a tumor comprised of spindle-shaped cells including 5 mitotic figures per 50 high-power fields. Immunohistochemical evaluation indicated that the tumor cells were positive for c-Kit and CD34 expression. The tumor was diagnosed as low-risk dGIST. Postoperative follow-up was continued, and 7 years later, CT revealed a 39-mm enhanced tumor in liver segment 4. The tumor was diagnosed as a metastatic liver tumor, and the patient underwent S4 partial hepatectomy. As a result of histological and immunohistochemical analysis, the tumor was diagnosed as a liver metastasis from dGIST. The patient has been receiving oral imatinib 400 mg daily and remains free of disease 5 years after her last surgery. Low-risk dGIST can metastasize relatively long after surgery. However, an excellent long-term prognosis may be achieved by combining complete resection and imatinib therapy in patients with recurrent liver metastases.