The authors report their experience on the treatment of GIST. They point out the importance of classification of the disease in low, medium and high risk neoplasms based on the characteristic of the tumour: site, volume and mytotic index as the Consensus Conference of Bethesda recently established. Surgical procedure remains the most important treatment in localized disease, while patients with advanced disease can benefit from imatinib, a chemotherapeutic agent recently introduced, as an adjuvant therapy.