title: Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) Rearrangement-positive Lung Cancer with Transformation to Pleomorphic Carcinoma.
abstract: A 55-year-old woman was diagnosed with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement-positive lung adenocarcinoma and treated with chemotherapy consisting of crizotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of ALK, as second-line chemotherapy. However, the size of the metastatic adrenal lesion increased, and the patient died due to multiple organ failure. An autopsy report revealed that the metastatic lesion of the adrenal tumor was ALK rearrangement-positive pleomorphic carcinoma. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker vimentin was immunohistochemically positive in both the lung and adrenal lesions. The present case report suggests the possibility of transformation into pleomorphic carcinoma as a result of EMT in patients with ALK rearrangement-positive lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamide
authors.forename: Kyoichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaira
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Shiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuribayashi
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozawa
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sunaga
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hisada
authors.forename: Tetsunari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000077192:Adenocarcinoma of Lung; D000077548:Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase; D001344:Autopsy; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000077547:Crizotinib; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011725:Pyridines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000187:drug effects*
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