Table 2.

Follow-up recommendation in GIST

	Recommendation	Time-line
After radical treatment of patients with low and very low risk GIST (stage I)	There is no indication for regular follow-up. Ultrasound or abdominal/pelvic CT might be considered once a year. The patient must be informed of risk of relapse even after a long period of treatment	Once a year
After radical treatment of patients with intermediate risk GIST (stage II)	H&P. Abdominal/pelvic CT with contrast. Imaging assessment depending on localization of primary tumor (e.g., pelvic MRI in a rectal GIST, chest CT in an esophageal GIST)	Every 3–6 months for 2–3 years; then every 6–12 months for 3 years; and annually thereafter
After radical treatment of patients with high risk GIST (stage III)	H&P. Abdominal/pelvic CT with contrast. Imaging assessment depending on localization of primary tumor (e.g., pelvic MRI in a rectal GIST, chest CT in an esophageal GIST)	Every 3–4 months for 2–3 years; then every 6 months for the next 3 years; and annually thereafter (after adjuvant imatinib, follow-up starts after the end of systemic treatment)
After radical treatment of metastatic GIST (stage IV)	The assessment of metastatic (target) lesions on abdominal/pelvic CT or MRI	An individual plan of follow-up visits—during the TKI therapy, follow-up is recommended every 2–3 months

CT computed tomography, MRI magnetic resonance imaging, GIST gastrointestinal stromal tumor