Prior to the implementation of preoperative imatinib mesylate therapy, a considerable percentage (ranging from 34.5% to 67.5%) of individuals diagnosed with rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) underwent abdominoperineal resection (APR), a surgical procedure that involved the removal of the anus and necessitated a permanent colostomy.
This study aims to investigate the safety and viability of an organ-preserving approach involving preoperative imatinib mesylate treatment in conjunction with local resection for rectal GIST, specifically targeting patients with c-KIT gene mutations.