OBJECTIVETo review the clinical features of duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GISTs), and to compare the clinical efficacy among different surgical treatments for duodenal GISTs.

METHODSClinicalpathological data of 36 cases of duodenal GISTs undergoing operation in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2000 to July 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients received surgical treatments, including 15 cases with regional resection, 8 cases with segmental resection, 12 cases with pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), and 1 case with liver biopsy, respectively. Clinical efficacy between pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and non-PD (NPD) was compared.

RESULTSNine of 36 cases (25%) developed postoperative complications who were all in the PD group. Eight patients recovered and healed finally after active treatment, and 1 case was complicated with acute pancreatitis, pancreatic fistula and intra-abdominal infection. The median follow-up time was 54 months and the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate and 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate were 78.1% and 72.1%, respectively. The 5-year OS rate in the PD group and the NPD group was 61.1% and 61.1% respectively. The 5-year RFS rate in the PD group and the NPD group was 85.8% and 78.8% respectively. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference between the both groups (P=0.71 and P=0.89).

CONCLUSIONSFor duodenal GISTs patients, regional resection and segmental resection have similar clinical outcomes to pancreaticoduodenectomy while the former two can obviously decrease the incidence of postoperative complications. Based on the premise of R0 resection guaranteed, regional sectional and segmental resection with less injury should be the surgical treatment of choice.