How does GLEEVEC work in treating metastatic/unresectable Kit+ GIST?
Gleevec targets several different tumor proteins, including KIT that is the suspected cause of most GISTs. In KIT+ GISTs, an abnormal Kit protein sends out a constant signal that tells the cells to keep growing resulting in tumor formation; Gleevec may work by blocking, or turning off, the signal from the Kit protein, so the cancerous cells stop growing.
