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Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. In 2015, >8.7 million people died worldwide due to cancer, and by 2030 this figure is expected to increase to ~13.1 million. Tumor chemotherapy drugs have specific toxicity and side effects, and patients can also develop secondary drug resistance. To prevent and treat cancer, scientists have developed novel drugs with improved antitumor effects and decreased toxicity. Ailanthone (AIL) is a quassinoid extract from the traditional Chinese medicine plant Ailanthus altissima, which is known to have anti-inflammatory and antimalarial effects. An increasing number of studies have focused on AIL due to its antitumor activity. AIL can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by up- or downregulating cancer-associated molecules, which ultimately leads to cancer cell death. Antitumor effects of AIL have been observed in melanoma, acute myeloid leukemia, bladder, lung, breast, gastric and prostate cancer and vestibular neurilemmoma. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first review to describe the antitumor mechanisms of AIL.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most commonly observed mesenchymal tumors of the digestive tract, and they originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal. GISTs can be divided into KIT/PDGFRA‑mutant GISTs and wild‑type GISTs based on the presence or absence of KIT/PDGFRA mutations. Wild‑type GISTs can be divided into succinate dehydrogenase complex (SDH)‑deficient GISTs and non‑SDH‑deficient GISTs. Downstream signaling pathways activated by these mutations serve a pivotal role in the development of GISTs and are associated with the biological behavior, including risk stratification, clinical prognosis and drug resistance. Accurate medical care requires accurate molecular diagnosis, which in turn prolongs the survival of patients with GISTs and makes GIST a chronic disease. At present, there is a lack of effective treatment for imatinib/sunitinib/regorafenib resistant patients and KIT/PDGFRA‑WT GISTs, which is undoubtedly a major challenge for future research. The present review summarizes the molecular pathogenesis of GISTs and the progress of related research.