GIST Research Papers

Read about research to improve treatments and find a cure for GIST cancer.

Previously published papers from GIST Cancer UK funded research projects

GCUK is focused on stimulating research to improve treatments and find a cure for GIST cancer. This aim is only made possible through the funds raised by our supporters, and the dedication of the researchers who work with us.

Project: Wildtype SDH Deficient GIST in the UK; A review of clinical course, genetics, epigenetics and metabolomics.

Principal Investigator (PI) - Dr Ruth Casey

Research Papers: Dr Casey's findings were published in PubMed as follows:

Project: Research to investigate the potential of Gallium-68 (68Ga) DOTA-conjugated peptidePET/CT to develop theranostic applications in wild-type gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs).

Principal investigator (PI) - Dr Ruth Casey

This research showed that Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT may have an important diagnostic role in identifying and differentiating PPGL lesions from metastatic wtGIST. Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT demonstrated intense tracer uptake in a synchronous paraganglioma in one case and a metachronous paraganglioma in another case with wtGIST.

Research outputs: Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT may have specific diagnostic utility in differentiating wtGIST from other primary tumours such as paraganglioma in patients with sporadic and hereditary forms of wtGIST.

Dr Casey's research paper was published in PubMed as follows:

Project: Investigating the utility of serum miRNA as a tumour biomarker to guide surveillance in patients with dSDH GIST and PPGL.

Principal Investigator (PI) - Dr Ruth Casey

MGMT promoter hypermethylation occurs exclusively in a subset of dSDH wtGIST.

Data from this study supports testing of tumour MGMT promoter methylation in patients with dSDH wtGIST to identify those patients who may benefit from most from TMZ therapy.

Pilot Study - Altered RNA methylation in SDH deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumours

Principal Investigator (PI) - Dr Olivier Giger

Research outputs: Dr. Giger's findings were published in PubMed as part of the above project.

Project: Next generation sequencing of WT GIST's to identify therapeutic targets.

Principal Investigator (PI) - Dr Newton Wong

There is no known specific biomarker or genetic signal for quadruple wild-type (qWT) gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). By next-generation sequencing (NGS) of different GIST subgroups, this study aimed to characterise such a biomarker especially as a potential therapeutic target.

Short kinase variants which are specific to qWT GISTs are rare and are not universally demonstrated by this whole subgroup. It is therefore possible that the current definition of qWT GIST still covers a heterogenous population.

Research Paper(s): Dr Wong's findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Pathology

Project: Collection of GIST tissue samples stored in hospital pathology departments for patients who had been treated at the Marsden over previous years, then retrospectively undertake mutational analysis of all the samples.

Principal Investigator (PI) - Professor Ian Judson

Research outputs: Professor Judson's research paper was published in Cancer Biology & Therapy as follows: