Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) Masquerading as a Pancreatic Pseudocyst: A Rare Case Report

Despite their relative rarity, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most common type of mesenchymal tumor in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Here, we describe a rare case of a 62-year-old hypertensive female presenting with abdominal pain and a palpable mass, initially suspected to be a pancreatic pseudocyst based on radiological findings. Subsequent histopathological (HPE) examination following surgical resection revealed a large cystic lesion originating from the stomach, characterized as a malignant epithelioid GIST. Based on these findings and taking into consideration the symptomatology of the patient, the decision was made to post the patient for an upfront, open surgical exploration without pre-operative biopsy studies. Frozen section facilities were kept on standby considering the differential diagnosis. Since the frozen section revealed a gastric GIST, a decision was made to perform subtotal gastrectomy, followed by gastrojejunostomy (GJ) and jejunojejunostomy (JJ). In addition, the part of the cyst adherent to the left lobe of the liver was dealt with with a non-anatomical wedge resection. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis showed positivity for Cluster of Differentiation 117 (CD117) with negativity for Cluster of Differentiation 34 (CD34), Desmin, and Discovered On Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors 1 (DOG-1). The tumor exhibited aggressive features, including high mitotic activity, i.e., >5/10 high power field (hpf), hemorrhagic areas, and infiltration into the liver parenchyma. The patient then received adjuvant imatinib-based chemotherapy and was maintained on strict follow-up.