LAUSR

Bariatric surgery has become the standard treatment for refractory morbid obesity because it is associated with prolonged weight loss and resolution of comorbidities as well as reduction in the overall mortality [1]. Mesenchymal tumors are rare lesions that account for 1% of all gastrointestinal tumors [2]. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common mesenchymal tumor; it arises from a common precursor cell that gives rise to interstitial cells of Cajal in the myenteric plexus. GISTs are submucosal tumors that occur more commonly in the stomach, small intestine, colon, rectum, and appendix and less often in the esophagus. They are rarely found outside the gastrointestinal tract, e.g., in the mesentery, omentum, or retroperitoneum. Results of immunohistochemical analyses have shown that almost all GISTs express c-kit protein (CD117) (95%), CD34 (60%–70%), and smooth muscle actin (30–40%). The main differential diagnosis is leiomyoma [3, 4]. The frequency of incidental findings of GIST and other submucosal lesions during bariatric surgery has been increasingly reported. It is suspected that their incidence in obese individuals is higher than that observed in the general population [5–7]. This letter aims at describing a series of cases of submucosal tumors incidentally found in individuals undergoing bariatric surgery. Methods