Are hereditary forms of GIST rare? Are they found in any special populations around the world?
Yes, hereditary GIST is very rare. Most GISTs are considered “sporadic” (occurring without a strong inherited basis). Only a small subset of people who develop GIST will do so because of a strong inherited tendency or “predisposition”. More than 15 families with hereditary GIST have been reported in the medical literature to date. These families have been from different countries and have a range of ethnic origins, so it appears that hereditary GIST occurs worldwide.