Gastrointestinal stromal tumours and their response to treatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs), the most common mesenchymal tumours of the digestive tract, are largely resistant to chemo- and radiotherapy. They are currently defined by their overexpression of the KIT receptor tyrosine kinase (CD117), a member of the family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), and exhibit KIT mutations in more than 85% of cases. Additionally, in more than one-third of KIT wild-type GISTs, mutations of platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGF-Rα), which also belongs to the family of RTKs, were recently found. Since these data indicate that uncontrolled RTK signalling may be implicated in the pathogenesis of GISTs, RTKs and the activated downstream signalling cascades are attractive targets in the therapy of these tumours. Imatinib is a small-molecule inhibitor that selectively blocks the activity of the PDGF-R, ABL and KIT receptor tyrosine kinases by competitive binding to the adenosine triphosphate binding site of their catalytic domains. We herein review the molecular pathological, preclinical and clinical data that identify imatinib as a valuable new agent in the treatment of GISTs.