Intervention in gastrointestinal stromal tumour with a high risk of malignancy and associated with thalassaemia minor

Abstract

This study reports on a 65-year-old female patient with controlled comorbidity, who was diagnosed with gastrointestinal stromal tumours following regular monitoring of renal cysts. After the surgical treatment, coadjuvant treatment with imatinib was initiated. After a few months, the patient complained of angor and asthenia and the diagnosis of anaemic syndrome was made on the basis of blood test results. We studied the causes of the anaemia (maturation factors and other causes of secondary anaemia) and it led to the diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency. Treatment with vitamin B12 supplementation was initiated. With the correction of the vitamin levels with supplementation, the symptoms improved. Thalassaemia led to the misdiagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency because of the lower mean corpuscular volume levels.