CCR 20th Anniversary Commentary: A Genetic Mechanism of Imatinib Resistance in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor-Where Are We a Decade Later?

Abstract

In the June 1, 2005, issue of Clinical Cancer Research, Antonescu and colleagues defined second-site KIT mutations in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) as the leading mechanism of acquired resistance to imatinib. Secondary mutations were detectable mainly in KIT exon 11 mutant GISTs after prolonged initial clinical responses. These findings played a critical role in designing the next generation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors.