title: A case of lung adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR mutation and EML4-ALK fusion gene.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)--tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) is used for the patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancer. Recently, phase III studies in the patients with EGFR-mutant demonstrated that EGFR-TKI monotherapy improved progression-free survival compared with platinum-doublet chemotherapy. The echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4)--anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion oncogene represents one of the newest molecular targets in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients who harbor EML4-ALK fusions have been associated with a lack of EGFR or KRAS mutations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report a 39-year-old patient diagnosed as adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR mutation and EML4-ALK fusion gene. We treated this patient with erlotinib as the third line therapy, but no clinical benefit was obtained.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We experienced a rare case with EGFR mutation and EML4-ALK. Any clinical benefit using EGFR-TKI was not obtained in our case. The therapeutic choice for the patients with more than one driver mutations is unclear. We needs further understanding of the lung cancer molecular biology and the biomarker information.
authors.affiliation: Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Course of Medical Sciences, Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine and Nephrology, Zaifu-cho 5, Hirosaki 036-8562, Japan. xyghx335@gmail.com
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.forename: Kageaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taima
authors.forename: Yoshihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurose
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takanashi
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okumura
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C522504:EML4-ALK fusion protein, human; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; D066246:ErbB Receptors