Moreover, we observed that sarcomas, such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), soft tissue sarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, and bone sarcoma, tend to have high telomeric content, while neuroendocrine tumors from many anatomic sites including the skin, female reproductive tract, and gastrointestinal tract harbored low telomeric content, with a notable exception of pancreatic islet cell tumors (endocrine-neuro group), which harbor a high level of ALT-related genetic alterations and display high telomeric content (Additional file 2: Fig. S2). This evidence concerns the gene GPT and gastrointestinal stromal tumor.