We Care – GIST Cyprus

CØNNEKT Communication Consultants works with The Life Raft Group to help people living with GIST, as well as their relatives, connect with specialists and patient organisations that have extensive experience of this rare disease.

What is GIST?

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours, or GISTs, belong to a group of cancers known as soft-tissue sarcomas. Sarcomas are less common cancers that develop in connective or supporting tissues. They originate in the general class of cells known as mesenchymal cells, which are found in bone, muscle, fat and cartilage.

By contrast, many more common cancers, including lung, skin and prostate cancer, develop from epithelial cells found in the linings of the body’s surfaces. These cancers are known as carcinomas.

It is estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 people develop GIST in the United States each year, with comparable rates in other countries. In Cyprus, approximately ten new cases are estimated to be diagnosed annually.

GIST was once regarded as a single disease. It is now divided into several forms according to the specific mutations, or genetic changes, present in the cancer cells. Most forms affect adults, although some affect children and a small number are hereditary.

Understanding GIST can be challenging. Whatever type of GIST a person has, learning as much as possible about the disease is important. As The Life Raft Group says, “the wonder drug of the 21st century is the informed patient”.