Originally designed to block a kinase called MET, it was later discovered to
target ALK as well.
A drug recently developed by Pfizer, crizotinib,
targets ALK and is currently given to patients with ALK positive lung cancer when their cancer has worsened after initial chemotherapy.
Not exact matches
«Rare genetic cause of peritoneal mesothelioma points to
targeted therapy: Genetic rearrangement in the
ALK gene found in young women with mesothelioma may be targetable with FDA - approved drugs.»
They identified
ALK - positive mesotheliomas by immunohistochemistry; confirmed with fluorescence in situ hybridization; and performed
targeted next - generation sequencing of tumor DNA and RNA to get a full picture of the exact genetic rearrangement underpinning the disease.
Patients with
ALK rearrangements do not respond to EGFR - TKIs, but are sensitive to other
targeted therapies (such as ceretinib).
Dorothy Romanus, lead author of the study, states «this analysis supports the value of multiplexed testing for EGFR and
ALK gene rearrangements followed by molecularly - guided therapy in decisions surrounding coverage of related testing and
targeted therapy.
«With immunotherapies, there were better outcomes for deeper responses, but it didn't break down the same way as with
targeted treatment against
ALK - positive cancer,» Doebele says.
In the group that received
targeted treatment for
ALK - positive lung cancer, each category of tumor reduction was associated with corresponding gains in PFS and OS.
«This study demonstrates the value of testing lung cancer tissue for an
ALK rearrangement, and it underscores the potential of cancer genomics to
target cancer treatments to each patient,» says the study's senior author, Pasi A. Jänne, MD, PhD, who is the director of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology of Dana - Farber.
«
ALK now becomes the second abnormal gene that we are able to successfully
target in lung cancer with drugs other than chemotherapy.»
Testing for the EGFR mutation and
ALK rearrangements and the use of
targeted therapies have given lung cancer patients the chance for survival, along with improved quality of life and time with loved ones.
The updated guideline will include new recommendations for
ALK testing by IHC,
ALK - EGFR resistance, and a number of emerging
target molecular
targets which will include, but is not limited to, ROS1, MET, ERBB2, RET, NTRK1.
Kinases are also druggable
targets, as seen by the success of kinase - inhibitors in earning FDA approval (including, for example, crizotinib against
ALK - fusion and erlotinib against EGFR).
Nonetheless, low - dose computed tomography screens may change diagnostic prospects in the future, and recently developed therapies
targeting tumors harboring mutations in EGFR or
ALK receptors are showing promise.
In this study, we hypothesized that the mammalian
target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which functions downstream of AKT, mediates the oncogenic effects of activated PI3K / AKT in
ALK + ALCL.
These findings suggest that activation of mTOR signaling contributes to tumor cell survival in
ALK + ALCL, thus providing a potential therapeutic
target in this lymphoma type.
«In recent years, we have made enormous progress in lung adenocarcinoma treatment by
targeting EGFR,
ALK, and other mutated proteins.
Patients with
ALK - positive lung tumors may be candidates for
targeted therapies that can improve prognosis and decrease risk for side effects.
This range includes the following 5 IHC
targets available as both sections mounted on slides and whole FFPE blocks: BRAF V600E, EML4 -
ALK, ROS1, PD - L1 and HER2.