Objective To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of decorin (DCN), imatinib mesylate, and sunitinib malate on the malignant phenotype of gastrointestinal stromal tumor cells. Methods Western blotting was used to detect changes in the expression of DCN and its downstream proteins after DCN overexpression and treatment with imatinib mesylate and sunitinib malate alone or in combination in gastrointestinal stromal tumor cells (GIST-882) . Cell counting kit-8, scratch, and Transwell assays were performed to validate the changes in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities after DCN overexpression and treatment with imatinib mesylate and sunitinib malate alone or in combination in GIST-882 cells. Results Compared with the control group, DCN overexpression and treatment with imatinib mesylate and sunitinib malate alone or in combination in GIST-882 cells increased the expression levels of DCN protein, decreased the expression levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphorylated EGFR (p-EGFR), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), and phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) proteins, and significantly reduced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities. Conclusion DCN overexpression and treatment with imatinib mesylate and sunitinib malate alone or in combination affect the MAPK signaling pathway by downregulating the expression of EGFR, thereby regulating the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of gastrointestinal stromal tumor cells.