Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: morphological, immunohistochemical and molecular changes associated with kinase inhibitor therapy.

Recurrent or metastatic GISTs are currently treated with kinase inhibitors since they achieves disease control in 70-85% of patients but this response depend on KIT and PDGFRA gene mutation status. We review the morfological and molecular findings associated to kinase inhibitors administration in GISTs based on the literature on Medline and authors' own experience. The initial response to kinase inhibitors (imatinib mesylate, Gleevec, Novartis) usually is partial and depend on the mutational KIT or PDGFRA state. Amongst patients wih KIT mutations, the best results are achived in those harboring exon 11 (85%) and exon 9 (45%) mutations. GISTs harboring PDGFRA gene mutations generally respond favorably except those involving the Asp842Val mutation. In the absence of KIT/PDGFRA gene mutations, partial response or disease stabilization is reported in 23% and 50% of patients, respectively, and disease progression in 19%. Histological examination of tumors displaying an initial response to imatinib reveals a highly-variable reduction in the number of tumor cells, a decline in the proliferative index, myxohyaline or sclerohyaline stroma, and a varying degree of bleeding and edema, necrosis and cystification. 72% of patients with initial good response to imatinib, display metastases or new nodule growth within an existing clinically-quiescent tumor after 12-36 months of treatment. This secondary resistance is characterized by a number of well-defined morphological and molecular changes. Histologically, the new growths display increased mitotic activity, pleomorphism, an epithelioid or mixed phenotype and persistent KIT expression although more rarely, dedifferentiation and loss of KIT expression (Fig. 4), as well as trans-differentiation into a rhabdomyosarcoma or epithelial phenotype has been reported. Molecularly, 46-67% of patients present additional KIT mutations, generally in the kinase domain (exons 13, 14 and 17) but also in the ATP-binding domain (exons 15,16) of the same allele. Secondary PDGFRA mutations are very rare. Secondary mutations have not been observed in GISTs not harboring KIT/PDGFRA mutations, or in tumors displaying an unusual morphology or loss of CD117 expression. A number of studies highlight the presence of different resistance mutations within different new tumor nodules, as well as the simultaneous development of distinct resistant tumor subclones within a single lesion (acquired polyclonal resistance). Secondary mutation in genes other than KIT/PDGFRA has only been reported in BRAF (Val600Glu).