title: Treatment and detection of ALK-rearranged NSCLC.
abstract: The recent approval of crizotinib for the treatment of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the US and other countries has provoked intense interest in ALK rearrangements as oncogenic drivers, and promises to revolutionise the way in which NSCLC is diagnosed and treated. Here, we review clinical data to date for the use of crizotinib to treat patients with advanced, ALK-positive NSCLC and consider issues surrounding the detection of ALK-positivity including the use of fluorescence in situ hybridisation and the other potential techniques available, and their suitability for ALK screening. We also discuss the emergence of resistance to crizotinib therapy and the range of other ALK inhibitors currently in development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Solange
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taron
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bubendorf
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Blackhall
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stahel
mesh_terms: D000077548:Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D000077547:Crizotinib; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011725:Pyridines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011720:Pyrazoles; D011725:Pyridines; D000077547:Crizotinib; C000626173:ALK protein, human; D000077548:Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
keywords: ALK inhibitor; ALK rearrangement; Crizotinib; Diagnosis; NSCLC; Resistance