title: Anti-ALK Antibodies in Patients with ALK-Positive Malignancies Not Expressing NPM-ALK.
abstract: Patients with Nucleophosmin (NPM)- Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) fusion positive Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma produce autoantibodies against ALK indicative of an immune response against epitopes of the chimeric fusion protein. We asked whether ALK-expression in other malignancies induces specific antibodies. Antibodies against ALK were detected in sera of one of 50 analysed ALK-expressing neuroblastoma patients, 13 of 21 ALK positive non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients, 13 of 22 ALK translocation-positive, but NPM-ALK-negative lymphoma patients and one of one ALK-positive rhabdomyosarcoma patient, but not in 20 healthy adults. These data suggest that boosting a pre-existent anti-ALK immune response may be more feasible for patients with ALK-positive NSCLC, lymphomas and rhabdomyosarcomas than for tumours expressing wild-type ALK.
authors.affiliation: 1. NHL-BFM Study Centre and Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Damm-Welk
authors.affiliation: 2. Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge UK.
authors.forename: Faraz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Siddiqi
authors.affiliation: 3. Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology University of Cologne, Germany; 4. Centre for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Germany; 5. Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: 3. Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hero
authors.affiliation: 6. University of Colorado Cancer Centre, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Vignesh
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Narayanan
authors.affiliation: 6. University of Colorado Cancer Centre, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: David Ross
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Camidge
authors.affiliation: 2. Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge UK.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: 7. Department of Paediatric Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Amos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.affiliation: 8. Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lehrnbecher
authors.affiliation: 9. Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pulford
authors.affiliation: 10. Department of Pathology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Ilske
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oschlies
authors.affiliation: 11. Institute of Human Genetics, Christian-Albrechts-University and University Hospital Schleswig Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel Germany.
authors.forename: Reiner
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siebert
authors.affiliation: 2. Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge UK.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: 1. NHL-BFM Study Centre and Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Wilhelm
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Woessmann
keywords: ALK-antibody titre; NSCLC; lymphoma; neuroblastoma