What causes Kit+ GIST?
A protein called “Kit” is thought to be one of the major causes of GIST. Normal cells have a limited life span. The Kit protein is located on the surface of normal cells. It sends a signal inside the cells that tells them to grow only as needed. When Kit becomes abnormal, its signal stays on all the time, causing cells to multiply out of control forming a tumor. Cancerous GIST cells develop a survival “advantage” because they grow faster and live longer than the healthy surrounding cells. The longer the cancerous cells live, the more potential they have to become dangerous, and the more likely they are to spread to other parts of the body.
