The gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and account for a total of 1 to 4% of all tumors. Imatinib (trade name in Europe, Glivec ® in the U.S. Gleevec ™, research term STI 571, manufacturer Novartis), usually used in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), has since 2001 been used successfully in the treatment of GIST .
