Mise au point sur la prise en charge des GIST

Since the discovery of the remarkable efficacy of imatinib in the metastatic GIST, several studies advanced our knowledge on the care of this pathology. In the localized GIST, the efficacy of the adjuvant treatment by imatinib was proved, but the duration, the indication and the management in case of relapse after imatinib are not still consensual. The imatinib is also used in neoadjuvant setting to optimize the quality of resection, the main treatment remaining the maximal tumor resection. In metastatic setting, imatinib remains the standard of care first-line treatment. It must be administered until progress or intolerance. Nevertheless, secondary resistance to imatinib is a substantial problem in routine clinical practice; in second line, sunitinib demonstrated its efficacy. Several inhibitors of tyrosine-kinases are ongoing evaluated in all the therapeutic lines. Clearly, a better knowledge of the molecular profile and the pharmacokinetics underlying the resistance to imatinib as well as the development of a new class of broad-spectrum tyrosine-kinase inhibitors may allow in the near future new individualized therapeutic strategies for GIST patients.