TY - JOUR
T1 - Anaplastic lymphoma kinase
T2 - A glimmer of hope in lung cancer treatment?
AU - Franco, Renato
AU - Rocco, Gaetano
AU - Marino, Federica Zito
AU - Pirozzi, Giuseppe
AU - Normanno, Nicola
AU - Morabito, Alessandro
AU - Sperlongano, Pasquale
AU - Stiuso, Paola
AU - Luce, Amalia
AU - Botti, Gerardo
AU - Caraglia, Michele
PY - 2013/4
Y1 - 2013/4
N2 - Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements (ALK-Rs) have been identified in 3-7% of all non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and represent an important molecular target for NSCLC treatment. The authors discuss the role of ALK-Rs in the prediction of clinical-pathological features of NSCLCs and the technical problems related to their determination in specimens. The authors also describe the preclinical and clinical results derived from the use of ALK inhibitors. ALK-R is generally detected in patients with specific clinical-pathological features: never-smokers, young males, adenocarcinoma histotype and EGF receptor/KRAS wild-type. The diagnosis of ALK-R remains a challenge, implicating the need of a careful filtering of patients. NSCLC patients harboring ALK-R have shown sensitivity to ALK inhibitors even if their activity is limited at the time by the occurrence of mechanisms of resistance. The authors summarize the strategies that in the future could overcome these mechanisms of escape.
AB - Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements (ALK-Rs) have been identified in 3-7% of all non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and represent an important molecular target for NSCLC treatment. The authors discuss the role of ALK-Rs in the prediction of clinical-pathological features of NSCLCs and the technical problems related to their determination in specimens. The authors also describe the preclinical and clinical results derived from the use of ALK inhibitors. ALK-R is generally detected in patients with specific clinical-pathological features: never-smokers, young males, adenocarcinoma histotype and EGF receptor/KRAS wild-type. The diagnosis of ALK-R remains a challenge, implicating the need of a careful filtering of patients. NSCLC patients harboring ALK-R have shown sensitivity to ALK inhibitors even if their activity is limited at the time by the occurrence of mechanisms of resistance. The authors summarize the strategies that in the future could overcome these mechanisms of escape.
KW - anaplastic lymphoma kinase
KW - crizotinib
KW - lung cancer biology
KW - lung cancer diagnosis
KW - molecular biology
KW - non-small-cell lung cancer
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84876113722&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84876113722&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1586/era.13.18
DO - 10.1586/era.13.18
M3 - Article
C2 - 23560836
AN - SCOPUS:84876113722
VL - 13
SP - 407
EP - 420
JO - Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics
JF - Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics
SN - 1473-7159
IS - 4
ER -