Dr. Joensuu Discusses the Progress of GIST Treatments

Heikki Joensuu, MD, PhD, professor of oncology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland, discusses the progress of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) treatments in the past decade. The first patient was treated with imatinib (Gleevec) in 2000, with results released in 2001. This was only 10 years ago and many changes have accelerated therapy for this disease since that point. There has been substantial progress in a very short period of time.