Rectal adenocarcinoma coexisting with gastro-intestinal stromal tumor: A case report and literature review

The finding of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor along with other epithelial cancers has been previously reported. Most commonly occurring in the GI tract, a second malignancy has been reported in nearly 13-20% patients with GIST. An elderly woman with a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the rectum underwent low anterior resection. Histology revealed a low-grade GIST along with adenocarcinoma of the rectum, with no lymph node involvement or metastatic disease. This seems to be the first case of a simultaneous occurrence of a GIST along with a rectal adenocarcinoma. The high incidence of a second malignancy in patients with GIST points toward an increased susceptibility to cancer. Is it necessary to treat such patients as generalized cancer syndromes with intensive surveillance and cancer screening?