Targeted therapy in deficient GIST.

The medical management of advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) has improved with the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting and mutations. However, approximately 5-10% of GIST lack and mutations, and about a half are deficient in succinate dehydrogenase () that promotes carcinogenesis by the cytoplasmic accumulation of succinate. This rare group of GIST primarily occurs in the younger patients than other subtypes, and is frequently associated with hereditary syndromes. The role of TKIs in patients with -deficient GIST is controversial, with conflicting results; thus, there is an urgent need to uncover the disease mechanisms, treatment patterns, and responses to systemic therapy among these patients. Here, based on an extensive literature search, we have provided a rigorous overview of the current evidence on the medical treatment of -deficient GIST.