Whereas 10 years ago no effective systemic therapy was available for gastrointestinal stromal tumors, the introduction of imatinib into clinical practice has dramatically improved the outcome of advanced disease, through favorable impact on disease-free survival for some patients with a localized and resectable tumor. This review provides a clinical perspective on the available data, evidence- or expert-based, for calculating the optimal treatment duration with imatinib.
Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.