Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare tumor that occurs primarily in children and young adults. Most common sites are lung and abdomen. In some patients, it is accompanied by symptoms such as fever, malaise and weight loss. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice. In patients with unresectable or metastatic tumors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NASIDs) and chemotherapy have been used in the past. Recent molecular diagnostic techniques have led to identification of genetic abnormalities in tumor tissue such as ALK gene rearrangement and ROS1 gene fusions in more than 90% of children with IMT. Novel therapeutic agents targeting these genetic abnormalities such as crizotinib have shown promising activity against IMTs. 

North American Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor Registry