The condition and the treatment
Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are a type of cancer that can occur anywhere in the digestive tract, but most GISTs start in the stomach or small bowel.
Imatinib (Glivec) is a drug that slows down or stops the growth and spread of a tumour. After surgery, imatinib can be used as an 'adjuvant' treatment which aims to stop the cancer growing back.