Three girls are going to skydive for GIST!
Written by Stacey McAully My name is Stacey and most of you will have seen us in the April edition of the newsletter. I have always known I have wanted to do something to raise money [...]
Norman & Anita meet with Dutch GISTers in Amsterdam
The following excerpt has been reprinted from an article in the Contactgroep GIST newsletter,“Van GISTeren naar morgen” with permission. Norman Scherzer, the American who founded the Life Raft Group ten years ago, stayed with his [...]
New target found for wild-type and pediatric GIST
A new target has been found for wild-type and pediatric GIST. GISTs without mutations in either of the two genes commonly mutated in GIST typically respond poorly to Gleevec. Andrew Godwin, Ph.D. of Fox Chase Cancer [...]
Southern California GISTers meet!
The Manse on Marsh Street was the location of the first GIST gathering on January 10, 2010 in San Luis Obispo, California. Chris Skiff owner/developer of The Manse on Marsh Street, an up scale [...]
Patients with rare cancer get second chance to fight back
When Morty Wagman underwent surgery to remove a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) in 2008 with his wife Judi by his side, he was faced with a concerning 55 percent chance that his cancer would return. Then, his oncologist told him about Gleevec (imatinib), a treatment that could greatly reduce the risk of his cancer returning, and Wagman felt empowered and hopeful. Today, he and his wife applaud Health Canada for approving Gleevec for patients with this potentially life-threatening condition, at an earlier stage in the disease.
NIH Pediatric & Wildtype clinic continues with success
The fourth bi-annual NIH Pediatric & Wildtype GIST Clinic at the National Institutes of Health on January 20 was, once again, a great success. Click here to view a video or listen to a podcast of Dr. [...]
Synta opens phase II trial STA-9090 in GIST
STA-9090 is a synthetic, small molecule HSP90 inhibitor. It has a unique chemical structure different from earlier HSP-90 inhibitors that, like IPI-504, are first generation drugs based on a family of antibiotics called ansamycins. As a result, STA-9090 is likely to have a different toxicity profile.
February 2010 clinical trials update
Written by Jim Hughes Updated five year adjuvant Gleevec trial: Phase II now open at 21 sites in the United States. NCT00867113 Updated MP470 trial in solid malignancies: Phase I updated to Ongoing as of 11/3/2009. NCT00894894 Added [...]
More Life Fest 2010 Updates!
Here, you can register for Life Fest, view pictures, video and presentations from past Life Fests, download a nomination form for GIST Clinician of the Year and download materials for our new project: Tree of Life.
From bench to bedside and back again
GIST is a great example of how science can impact outcomes in cancer patients. As a malignancy, GIST has fewer changes in its genes than many other cancers. Thus, the discovery by Hirota and colleagues in 1998 that GIST contained mutations in the KIT gene was a breakthrough for the treatment of GIST. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib and sunitinib that target KIT, as well as PDGFRA, have significantly improved the outcomes for patients with GIST. Clinicians at the bedside of their patients have seen the impact of these drugs and have also had to face the challenges of what to do when therapy doesn’t work. How might we do better?