ALK+ Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Jessica J. Lin, MD

January 21, 2020

The most common type of lung cancer is non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and approximately 5% of patients with NSCLC have anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangements (ALK+). ALK+ NSCLC tumors are sensitive to ALK inhibitors, including crizotinib, which is widely used as first-line treatment in this setting. However, patients typically develop resistance to crizotinib therapy within a year.

Several newer tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including ceritinib, alectinib, brigatinib, and lorlatinib, are now available for the treatment of advanced ALK+ NSCLC. Dr Jessica Lin of Harvard discusses the available options and considerations for choosing an appropriate second- or third-line therapy.

Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: ALK+ Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer - Medscape - Jan 21, 2020.

Comments

Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.

Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.

processing....

ALK+ Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Tables

Authors and Disclosures

Authors and Disclosures

Expert

Jessica J. Lin, MD

Comments

Email This

Feedback