Efficacy and Safety of Imatinib Mesylate in Advanced Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Abstract

Imatinib induced a sustained objective response in more than half of patients with an advanced unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Inhibition of the KIT signal-transduction pathway is a promising treatment for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors, which resist conventional chemotherapy.