ROS1 mutation and treatment with crizotinib in a 30-year old Caucasian woman with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer/adenocarcinoma and complete remission

Abstract

In this case report we describe a 30 year-old Caucasian woman with a histopathological diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma in both lungs with lipidic and micropapillary growth pattern and ROS1 (C-ros oncogene 1, receptor tyrosine kinase) rearrangement. There is evidence that crizotinib can be used for molecular target therapy in these patients. We enrolled the patient in an off-label program for the treatment of ROS1 rearranged adenocarcinomas with the EML4/anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor crizotinib. After a follow-up of eight weeks we saw a complete remission in both lungs without any signs of metabolic tumor activity. This report shows the importance of testing young patients with adenocarcinomas of the lung for rare oncogenic driver mutations, such as ROS1, with possible molecular treatment options. © 2014 Tianjin Lung Cancer Institute and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.