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Background: Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour is a rare but potentially curable tumour of the gastrointestinal tract accounting for up to 1% of all gastrointestinal tumours. The discovery of Imatinib mesylate, a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor has improved the chances even for unresectable, recurrent, or metastatic diseases., Methods: This study sought to document the clinical and pathological characteristics of GISTs from two tertiary hospitals in Ghana that have undergone immunohistochemistry confirmation between 2014 and 2021., Results: The median age of the subjects was 50 years with most of them (28.0%) being above 61 years. There were more females than males (64.0% vs. 36.0%). Abdominal mass and abdominal pain made up the majority of the clinical presentations. The majority of the subjects had partial gastrectomy (32.0%) which was followed by wedge resection (28.0%). Appendectomy and sleeve gastrectomy were the least performed procedures (8% each). Four of the 25 patients (16.0%) had resections of involved contiguous organs done with splenectomy being the most common procedure. The majority of GISTs were found in the stomach (68.0%) followed by the appendix (12.0%) and small bowel (12.0%). Gastrointestinal bleeding (55.8%) and abdominal pain (38.5%) were the most reported symptoms. Free resection margins were observed in 84.0% of the subjects and only 3/25 (12.0%) experienced tumour recurrence., Conclusion: GIST is a potentially curable tumour that once was obscure but currently gaining popularity. Surgical resection offers the hope of a cure for localized disease while targeted therapies is a viable option for recurrent, metastatic, or unresectable tumours., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Upper GI bleeding from GIST is rare in Africa. The C‐kit‐negative variant is uncommon worldwide. We report a case of a 42‐year‐old woman managed for upper GI bleeding secondary to stomach GIST, negative for CD117 but positive for DOG 1 and CD 34. The 1‐year postsurgery review is uneventful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]