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Almost all GISTs start when a gene, called kit, develops a mutation (defect) and forms a protein called Kit. The abnormal Kit protein sends out a signal that tells GIST cells to keep growing. Gleevec works by blocking, or turning off, the signal from the Kit protein so that GIST cells should stop growing.

How GIST starts

1. A kit gene develops a mutation.

2. The Kit protein becomes too active
3. Its “signal” stays on all the time.

4. This causes the cells to multiply out of control, forming a tumor.

After successful treatment with Gleevec

Gleevec attaches to the Kit protein and turns off the signal that causes GIST cells to grow and divide. However, Gleevec can also target other proteins not involved in causing Ph+ CML or Kit-positive GIST.

Tumor cells should stop growing which may cause the tumor to shrink. There are no studies showing that symptoms related to the disease improved or that patients lived longer.

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