Primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the liver: A case report and review of the literature.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors located in the alimentary tract. A small portion of GISTs are observed in extra-gastrointestinal regions, primarily in the omentum, mesentery and retroperioneum, and these types of GISTs are referred to as extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumors. The present study reports of a patient with unique primary liver GIST. The patient underwent en bloc resection and post-operative administration of imatinib, and subsequently experienced a good prognosis. The present case is followed by a brief review of reported cases of liver GISTs identified in the literature. The literature revealed that primary liver GISTs are usually large in size and possess a high mitotic index, which contributes to malignant characterization, thus classifying these tumors as high-risk. En bloc resection remains the mainstay of treatment for resectable primary liver GISTs. However, the prognosis of these patients is not favorable. Perioperative administration of imatinib may be useful to a certain extent, and interventional therapy, including radiofrequency ablation, should be considered.