Long-term complete response in a patient with postoperative recurrent ALK-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma treated with crizotinib: A case report

Abstract

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements are identified in approximately 5% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite initial dramatic responses to ALK inhibitors, the majority of patients relapse within 1 year, owing to the development of resistance. Herein we present a case of variant type 2 ALK-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma recurrence with multiple lung metastasis that maintained complete response over 5 years with crizotinib, which is the first approved ALK inhibitor. The efficacy of crizotinib may vary among ALK fusion variants and thus, variant type may represent an important factor in guiding the treatment strategy for ALK-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma.