Monitoring circulating tumor-DNA during surgical treatment in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors

The majority of patients diagnosed with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) are successfully treated with a combination of surgery and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Here, we utilized a sequencing strategy based on molecular barcodes and developed a GIST-specific panel to monitor tumor-specific and TKI resistance mutations in cell-free DNA. Thirty-two GIST patients were included, and 161 blood plasma samples were collected. Patients were included regardless of their risk category.