• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.184-188
• /
• 2021

A 10-year-old spayed female Maltese with a history of vomiting and lethargy was referred to the hospital. Physical examination revealed dehydration and severe pain following abdominal palpation. A large mass was observed in the cranial abdomen through radiography and ultrasonography. Laparotomy was performed to find the origin of the mass. The mass was about 8 cm originating from the cecum and subsequently removed. Histopathologic evaluation revealed that the cecal mass was suspected to be a mesenchymal-derived tumor. Through immunohistochemistry, the mass was diagnosed as a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) based on the c-kit expression. Given its recurrence, postoperative preventive therapy was initiated with masitinib mesylate, which is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The animal did not show any side effects during the medication period. After 6 months of therapy, it was well controlled without any recurrence. In this case, we introduced a novel postoperative management of GIST using masitinib mesylate.