What Is Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor?
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor is soft tissues that are present in any part of the digestive system mostly in the small intestine and stomach. People who have smaller GISTs have no serious health issues but people with larger GISTs consult a doctor when they pass the blood in their stool and vomit. At the age of 50 and 70 people can have this problem but it is not common before the age of 40. It is also uncommon cancer that begins in the special cells in the wall of the digestive tract. Around 4,000 and 6,000 cases per year are there in the U.S.However genetic factor can also increase the risk as people experienced a certain change in their genes and it is also commonly found in many members of the family. There are different types of Gastrointestinal stromal tumors which are pediatric gist which affects young adults, wild -type gist which is not caused by cell mutation, and familial gist which is an inherited type of gist, syndromic gist explained further. A genetic syndrome is a condition that is caused by abnormal genes. Genetic syndrome which is connected to it is as follows:
- Carney Triad(CT)- It is present in the stomach as well as in nerve tumors known as paragangliomas and can also occur in the 20s.This condition generally is prevalent in females.
- Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) -It is caused by a defect in the NF1 gene. This can pass by a parent or before birth. People have noncancerous tumors called neurofibromas which are present in the small intestine.
What Are the Symptoms of GIST?
People with GIST don’t experience any specific signs of this problem. The sign and symptoms are:
- A mass in the abdomen that you can feel with your hand
- nausea and vomiting
- pain or discomfort in the abdomen
- bowel obstruction
- blood in the stool
- vomiting blood
- fatigue is caused by anemia which has low red blood cells and is there in the GI tract.
When the blood is thrown up or vomited out it is digested and it might look like coffee grounds. Bleeding in the stomach makes stool movement tarry and black and also in the intestine, it converts the stool into visible blood. The tumor sometimes blocks the passage of food through the stomach known as an obstruction which leads to extreme abdominal pain and vomiting. They sometimes get spilled which leads to a hole in the GI tract and can also cause pain. It is discovered during the medical check-up due to abdominal pain, chronic anemia, or gastrointestinal bleeding. If a patient has any of these symptoms they should immediately go for the treatment and should talk openly about what they are feeling and going through to the doctors.
What Is the Prevention for GIST?
This can be prevented through surgery. During this entire process, the tumor is removed in almost 85 % of cases. Half of them are not very aggressive, small, and easy to be removed. After the operation doctor’s diagnosed the tumor under a microscope.
There are specific three factors that will tell us what kind of treatment we should go for next:
- The mitotic index-It determines how many cells are dividing and more of it means an aggressive tumor.
- Tumor sizes that are less than two centimeters are less likely to occur again whereas if it is larger in size they can occur again.
- Tumor location is found in the stomach so the chances are less to occur again than found in the intestine.
Most likely to erupt again in the first two years after surgery. Treatments that we don’t need to go for are radiation chemotherapy but radiation is used to control bleeding. It can also be cured if there is one early-stage tumor that can be removed by operation without harming any other organ.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment Cost In India
The average Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment Cost in India starts from USD 2,400. The mention price of the treatment will also vary depending on the type of the patient’s condition and other factors. Furthermore, patients come for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment in India as the nation is known to be one of the top destinations for medical tourism with the best doctors in every field and the most modern type of equipment. Here is a list of treatments for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment and their starting prices:
Treatments | Starting Price |
Laparoscopic Surgery | USD 4500 |
Local-wide excision or Open Surgery | USD 3800 |
Targeted Therapy | USD 800 |
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment Cost in Different Cities in India:
Cities | Starting Price |
Delhi | USD 2400 |
Gurgaon | USD 2400 |
Noida | USD 2300 |
Mumbai | USD 2500 |
Hyderabad | USD 2400 |
Chennai | USD 2200 |
Kolkata | USD 2300 |
Bangalore | USD 2500 |
Note: Please be aware that the costs listed above are only an indication of what the treatment will cost initially and may change depending on a number of variables.
Factors That Can Affect Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment Cost in India
The standard and excellence of medical treatment and amenities are comparable to those of the most prominent healthcare facilities in the world, even after deducting the cost of lodging, meals, and transportation. Following here are some variables that can affect Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment Cost in India:
- Medication costs.
- Duration of treatment.
- Geographical location.
- Hospitalization expenses.
- Government policies and subsidies.
- Medical tourism packages.
- Hospital reputation and infrastructure.
- The expertise and experience of medical professionals.
- The type and frequency of diagnostic procedures.
- The choice of treatment modality.
Under the direction of the most skilled physicians, Medsurge India provides the most economical Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment Cost in India for patients.
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Procedure
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment in India
For Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment in India your reputable doctor’s primary goal during the procedure will be to remove as much of the tumor as feasible. The doctors would suggest the operation if the tumor is 2 c.m. in size or is not spread in various parts of the body. The surgeons wouldn’t allow an individual to go for surgery if the tumor is located in an area where it can destroy other organs of the body.
Surgery for Small GISTs
Laparoscopy is used for the surgery of small GISTs.During this ongoing process, doctors make a cut in the skin. There is a thin tube that has a light and a camera that goes into the openings and helps the surgeons to go through this particular process. They use surgical instruments to get rid of the tumor.
Surgery for Larger GISTs
Open surgery is meant to remove larger GISTs.In some cases, they also have to remove organs to make sure that the cancer is no more. Various body parts that are affected by this are:
- rectum and anus
- stomach
- pancreas
- Intestine
Surgery for Recurrent GISTs
Recurrent GISTs are spread to other body parts and are spread to the liver. If cancer comes back so the surgeon will suggest targeted therapy to the patient which completely destroys the cancer cells.
Other treatments which include are as follow:
- radiation therapy to reduce pain
- removal of the tumor using heat
- surgery to remove the tumor
If the tumor continues to increase an individual should go for a clinical trial which also works better than the other treatments people have gone for.
Conclusion
Hence, it just needs to get diagnosed at the primary level. Along with this, positivity is equally important during the process, and should not lose hope and they should also get mental therapy. It can be present with a nonspecific clinical picture and vague. Only for tumors, multimodal therapy with its successors should be at the utmost top priority in order to overcome the disease. Therefore, radiological evaluation, clinical, preoperative endoscopy, and biopsy are important to know about the risk of metastasis.
The Most Important Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is GIST a Serious Problem?
A. Small GIST has no serious issues but a person with large GIST needs proper medical care when they pass blood in their stool or vomit blood.
Q. What Kind of Drugs Are Used to Cure GIST?
A. Drugs used to overcome this problem are as follow:
- Ayvakit
- Imatinib Mesylate
- Avapritinib
- Regorafenib
- Stivarga
- Ripretinib
Q. Does GIST Have to Be Taken Out from the Body?
A. If the tumor is small so it should be removed with a small area of tissue. It is never spread to lymph nodes that is why there is no need to remove it from there.
Q. Is GIST Curable or Not?
A.It can be cured if detected at an early stage and can be removed surgically without damaging different body parts. Some people recover fast without any need for further treatment.
Q. What Is the Survival Rate of GIST?
A.Early stage of Gastrointestinal stromal tumor can be cured but it can occur again. The overall survival rate for GIST is 83%( The overall relative 5-year survival rate for GIST is 83 percent.
Survival rates are better than what is stated in statistics as cancer treatment is advancing at a higher rate, particularly for this cancer.
Top Hospitals for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treatment in India
Top Doctors for Gastroenterology
Dr. Naresh Shanmugam
Senior Consultant
Experience: 17 years of experience
Dr. Rela Institute and Medical Centre, Chennai
Chennai, India
Dr. Apurba Siva
Consultant
Experience: 23 years of experience
Medica Superspecialty Hospital
Kolkata, India
Dr. Mohan A .T.
Consultant
Experience: 32 years of experience
Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, Chennai
Chennai, India
Dr. Amarkishen Shetty H
Consultant
Experience: 32 years of experience
Manipal hospitals Life’s On, Jayanagar
Bangalore, India
Dr. Nutan Desai
Consultant
Experience: 20 years of experience
Fortis Hospital, Mulund, Mumbai
Mumbai, India
Dr. Prasanna B K
Consultant
Experience: 12 years of experience
Sparsh Hospital (Yeshwanthpur) Bangalore
Bangalore, India
Dr. (Col) Avnish Seth
Head of Department
Experience: 25 years of experience
Manipal Hospitals Dwarka, Delhi
New Delhi, India
Dr. Jayanta Samanta
Consultant
Experience: 14 years of experience
Medica Superspecialty Hospital
Kolkata, India
Dr. Subramaniyam Srinivas
Consultant
Experience: 21 Years
Medicover Hospital, Hitec City
Hyderabad, India
Dr. Prakash K
Consultant , MBBS, MCh, MS, Fellowship
Experience: 17 years of experience
Kochi, India
Dr. Revathy Shanmugam
Consultant
Experience: 23 years of experience
Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, Chennai
Chennai, India
Dr. DVL Narayan Rao
Consultant
Experience: 23 years of experience
Apollo Spectra Hospital, Hyderabad
Hyderabad, India
Dr. Alok Rath
General Surgeon Consultant
Experience: 22 years of experience
Care Hospitals, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
Hyderabad, India
Dr. Nikhil Sonthalia
Consultant
Experience: 10 years of experience
Apollo Gleneagles Hospital Kolkata
Kolkata, India
Dr. S. Suresh
Consultant
Experience: 17 years of experience
Prashanth Multi Speciality Hospital Chennai
Chennai, India