Deciding on the duration of adjuvant therapy in gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Introduction: The benefit of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) imatinib mesylate in metastatic Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) leads to improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Clinical trials of adjuvant imatinib have provided data on the utility in management of primary GIST. There still remains uncertainty regarding the optimal duration of therapy. Areas covered: Here, we review the literature on the pivotal clinical trials evaluating adjuvant imatinib: ACOSOG Z9000/Z9001, EORTC 62024, Scandinavian Sarcoma Group XVIII, and PERSIST-5. The data from these studies that were analyzed included the patient population, length of therapy, and outcomes. Expert opinion: Clinical trial data demonstrate that adjuvant imatinib delays recurrence and appears to improve survival when taken for 3 years in high-risk patients; treatment for 5 years has been found to be safe, although difficult for patients to maintain adherence. These studies all incorporated slightly different patient populations based upon eligibility criteria for risk of recurrence, but support the use in patients with intermediate to high risk of disease recurrence. Data from these studies does not support treating those with low risk of recurrence or imatinib-insensitive mutations.