# SSG XVIII/AIO: one versus three years of adjuvant imatinib for operable gastrointestinal stromal tumour

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-ssg-xviii-adjuvant-imatinib-joensuu-jama-2012/  
OnCo record `paper-ssg-xviii-adjuvant-imatinib-joensuu-jama-2012` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Three years of imatinib after surgery for high-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumour reduced recurrences and deaths compared with one year, setting the standard duration of adjuvant therapy.

## Summary

Phase 3 trial of 400 patients with resected KIT-positive GIST at high risk of recurrence randomised to 12 or 36 months of adjuvant imatinib 400 mg daily.

Five-year recurrence-free survival was 65.6 versus 47.9 percent (hazard ratio 0.46) and five-year overall survival 92.0 versus 81.7 percent (hazard ratio 0.45); ten-year follow-up confirmed the survival benefit, and discontinuation for adverse events was more common with longer treatment.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-17
- Journal: JAMA
- Year: 2012
- DOI: 10.1001/jama.2012.347
- Authors: Joensuu H, Eriksson M, Sundby Hall K, et al.
- Findings: Five-year recurrence-free survival 65.6 percent vs 47.9 percent; hazard ratio 0.46.; Five-year overall survival 92.0 percent vs 81.7 percent; hazard ratio 0.45.
- What it means: Three years of adjuvant imatinib is standard for high-risk resected GIST with imatinib-sensitive mutations; longer courses are being tested.
- Caveats: Patients with PDGFRA D842V mutations, which are imatinib-resistant, do not benefit.; Recurrences resume after imatinib is stopped.

## Sources

- JAMA 2012: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.347
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22453568/

## Connected records

- cancers: [KIT exon 11-mutant GIST](https://onco.cc/cancers/gist-kit-exon-11/)
- drugs: [Imatinib](https://onco.cc/drugs/imatinib/)
- journals: [JAMA](https://onco.cc/journals/jama/)

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