On June 18th and 19th, 2008 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) hosted the first clinic focusing on pediatric gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). In attendance were clinicians and basic science researchers from across the nation, members of GIST Support International and LifeRaft Group, and 14 patients and their families. Since then, more than 100 patients have been seen at the annual clinics. The NIH would like to thank the patients and families who have attended these clinics and everyone who has volunteered their time and energy to help to understand and treat pediatric GIST.
During the annual GIST clinics, the patients and their families have been able to meet with a variety of consultants during their three-day visit. These specialties include genetics, psychology, nutrition, endocrinology, patin and palliative, and gastroenterology. They also meet with the specialists who have reviewed their medical records, scans and pathology and provide individualized recommendations for treatment or management of their disease. If you are interested in attending one of these clinics, please use the "Apply Here" link (in either English or Spanish) located in the lower righthand sidebar on each page. You may also submit clinical questions via the Contact Us email link.
The other pages within this section, accessible from the sidebar navigation to the right, contain background articles concentrating on pediatric or wildtype GIST, the rationale for this initiative, and some of the results we have obtained from our patients.