Table 2.
GIST treatment experience
| Characteristic | Statistic or category | Subjects N = 173 |
|---|---|---|
| Current Health Rating (0 = worst, 100 = best) | Mean (SD) | 74.3 (20.6) |
| Time since diagnosis | Less than 6 months ago | 5 (2.9%) |
| At least 6 months ago, but less than 1 year ago | 14 (8.1%) | |
| At least 1 year, but less than 2 years ago | 19 (11.0%) | |
| At least 2 years, but less than 5 years ago | 49 (28.3%) | |
| At least 5 years ago | 86 (49.7%) | |
| Had surgery to treat GIST | Yes | 151 (87.3%) |
| No | 22 (12.7%) | |
| Currently taking medicine to treat GIST | Yes | 139 (80.3%) |
| How do you receive your GIST medicine? | Pills | 138 (99.3%) |
| Both pills and IV medicine | 1 (0.7%) | |
| Experienced Toxicities | Water retention and swelling | 118 (68.2%) |
| Diarrhea | 112 (64.7%) | |
| Nausea | 83 (48.0%) | |
| Feeling tired | 141 (81.5%) | |
| Skin rash | 76 (43.9%) | |
| Redness and sores on hands and feet | 39 (22.5%) | |
| Heart trouble | 27 (15.6%) | |
| Hospitalized from serious infection | 15 (8.7%) | |
| Missing | 1 (0.06%) | |
| Who do you turn to when you have toxicities from your GIST medicine? (Multiple responses were possible.) | My GIST doctor (a specialist) | 150 (86.7%) |
| My regular doctor (primary care physician) | 42 (24.3%) | |
| A nurse | 15 (8.7%) | |
| A pharmacist | 6 (3.5%) | |
| Another specialist (such as a dermatologist) | 12 (6.9%) | |
| Other people with GIST | 52 (30.1%) | |
| Other | 24 (13.9%) | |
| None of the above | 3 (1.7%) |
Abbreviations: GIST, gastrointestinal stromal tumors; SD, standard deviation.