Adenocarcinoma of the lung with concomitant ALK fusion gene and EGFR gene mutation: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Targeted therapy is currently a very popular approach to cancer treatment. Personalized targeted therapy of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is based on the mutation status of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog, B-Raf proto-oncogene and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion gene, with different mutations requiring different treatment. Herein, we present a rare case of adenocarcinoma of the lung harboring EGFR- and ALK-activating mutations simultaneously. The patient is currently on pemetrexed and carboplatin chemotherapy and faring well; follow-up will be continued. It is recommended that the biological behavior of cancers with coexisting genetic mutations and their clinicopathological characteristics are more closely investigated in future studies, in order to determine the sensitivity of such cancers to targeted drugs and select the optimal agent.