3.2 Patient characteristics
Twenty-five samples from 25 patients included in the study were analysed. According to the evaluation of relevant examination results, 9 patients received preoperative imatinib adjuvant treatment (neoadjuvant treatment group) because of large volume of tumor, special location or invasion of surrounding organs, and the difficulty of complete resection, while 16 patients directly underwent surgical resection followed by imatinib chemotherapy (adjuvant treatment group).
In the neoadjuvant treatment group, there were 6 males (66.7%) and 3 females (33.3%). The patients were between 34 and 67 years old, with an median age of 57 years. There were 7 patients (77.8%) with primary site of tumor at stomach and 2 patients (22.2%) at small intestine. 7 patients were tested as c-kit 11 gene mutation, and 2 patients without genetic testing. In the adjuvant treatment group, there were 6 males (37.5%) and 10 females (62.5%). The patients were between 42 and 72 years old, with an median age of 58 years. There were 11 patients (68.8%) with primary site of tumor at stomach and 5 patients (31.2%) at small intestine. 10 patients were tested as c-kit 11 gene mutation, 1 patient as c-kit 9 gene mutation and 5 patients without genetic testing. Patient characteristics are summarized in Table 3.