what is gist
GIST is a rare type of sarcoma found in the digestive system, most often in the wall of the stomach. Some GISTS behave in a non cancerous (benign) way.Or they can behave in a cancerous (malignant) way. specialist tests the cells to confirm the diagnosis of GIST, and to see if the cells have a receptor on their surface called CD117. This CD117 protein is made by a gene called c-kit. A fault in this gene causes the c-kit gene to make too much CD117 protein. Most GISTs have c-kit gene mutations.