[Comment] Imatinib in advanced GIST: if it’s working, don’t stop a good thing

Imatinib has shown robust and durable efficacy for the front-line treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST).1 However, long-term use of imatinib is often limited by side-effects, medical comorbidities, cost, and patient desire for a drug holiday. In The Lancet Oncology, Jean-Yves Blay and colleagues report results from the BFR14 trial investigating the discontinuation of imatinib in patients with advanced GIST.2 Patients with a complete response, a partial response, or stable disease at 1, 3, and 5 years were randomly assigned to stop imatinib and restart on progression (interruption group) versus continue treatment until disease progression (continuation group).