Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are graded by their risk of recurrence, and that grade determines treatment. Under the authors' guidance, high-risk patients and intermediate-risk patients with non-gastric tumors receive at least 3 years of imatinib, intermediate-risk patients with gastric tumors receive at least 1 year, and low-risk patients receive follow-up instead. The grade is typically determined by pathology after surgery or by a contrast-enhanced CT that evaluates the tumor itself.
A study published in Frontiers in Medicine tried something else. Researchers in Chongqing developed a model that never examines the tumor. It analyzes the visceral fat surrounding the abdominal organs on a non-contrast CT scan.
