Internal medicine

Receptor

Tyrosine-kinase inhibitor

Biology

Gene

Fusion gene

Receptor tyrosine kinase

Cancer

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase

Oncology

Malignant pleural effusion

Lung cancer

ALK inhibitor

non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Alectinib

Crizotinib

Tyrosine kinase

Cancer research

Genetics

Medicine

A549 cell

Thoracic Cancer

The ALK gene encodes a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor. ALK is physiologically expressed in the nervous system during embryogenesis, but its expression decreases postnatally. ALK first emerged in the field of oncology in 1994 when it was identified to fuse to NPM1 in anaplastic large‐cell lymphoma. Since then, ALK has been associated with other types of cancers, including non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). More than 19 different ALK fusion partners have been discovered in NSCLC, including EML4 , KIF5B , KLC1 , and TPR . Most of these ALK fusions in NSCLC patients respond well to the ALK inhibitor, crizotinib. In this paper, we reviewed fusion partner genes with ALK , detection methods for ALK ‐rearrangement ( ALK ‐R), and the ALK‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor, crizotinib, used in NSCLC patients.

<i>ALK‐</i>rearrangement in non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

ALK‐rearrangement in non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC)