Improving diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) patients: Results from the Dutch GIST Registry

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a rare mesenchymal malignancy in the gastrointestinal tract. Since the introduction of imatinib in 2002, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that targets Bcr-Abl, KIT and PDGFR, treatment of patients with advanced GIST has been spectacularly improved. In this rapidly evolving field, more insight is needed the treatment and follow-up of GIST patients. The focus for this thesis is on treatment strategies and follow-up in GIST patients in daily clinical practice using a large comprehensive multicenter database.A research grant for the Dutch GIST Registry was received from Novartis, Bayer, and Pfizer. Financial support by Pfizer for the publication of this thesis is gratefully acknowledged.LUMC / Geneeskund