A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology found that the use of adjuvant systemic therapy with imatinib for GIST has increased significantly over time, and that patients treated with the [...]
A recent clinical trial found that 1 year of adjuvant imatinib was able to increase recurrence-free survival. Keep reading to learn more.
GIST patients face many decisions about their treatment. Many GIST patients have surgery to remove a primary tumor and do not have detectable metastases at the time of surgery. This large group of patients faces the decision of whether or not to take Gleevec to try to prevent or delay a recurrence. Adjuvant therapy refers to additional treatment given after a main mode of therapy (the main treatment is usually surgery). For example, Gleevec given after surgery in hopes of preventing or delaying a recurrence is called adjuvant therapy.
