Primary intestinal tumors account for less than 10% of all neoplasms in dogs and may be of
epithelial, neuroendocrine, hematopoietic, or mesenchymal origin. 1 Gastrointestinal stromal
tumors (GIST) are a specific group of mesenchymal neoplasms that have been reported in
humans, dogs, and other species. 2-5 Historically, these tumors were misclassified as
leiomyosarcomas or leiomyomas in dogs due to their similar histological features, but in
recent studies 30-70% of gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors were reclassified as GIST …