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The following is a summary of “Benefit of surgery during systematic therapy for gastrointestinal stromal tumor liver metastasis: a SEER-based retrospective study,” published in the November 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Hu et al.  

The liver is the most common site for metastasis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and people often develop drug resistance over time with systemic treatment.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the benefit of surgery along with chemotherapy for people with GIST liver metastasis.  

They retrieved data from 607 people with GIST liver metastasis from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database; 380 people received chemotherapy alone (Chemo group), and 227 people had surgery in addition to chemotherapy (Chemo&Surg group). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance baseline factors.  

The results showed that surgery significantly improved cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) (P<0.001). After PSM, surgical resection continued to show significant benefits for both CSS and OS (P<0.001). Surgery combined with chemotherapy increased median CSS by at least 63 months and median OS by at least 76 months. The subgroup analysis indicated that the timing of surgery had no significant effect on CSS or OS.  

They concluded that additional surgery, along with systemic treatment, improved CSS and OS in people with GIST liver metastasis.  

Source: academic.oup.com/gastro/article/doi/10.1093/gastro/goae095/7908448