First-line treatment of advanced ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer.

ABSTRACT: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths, both within the US and worldwide. There have been major treatment advances in NSCLC over the past decade with the discovery of molecular drivers of NSCLC, which has ushered in an era of personalized medicine. There are several actionable genetic aberrations in NSCLC, such as epidermal growth factor receptor and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). In 3%-7% of NSCLC, a chromosomal inversion event in chromosome 2 leads to fusion of a portion of the ALK gene with the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) gene. The constitutive activation of the ALK fusion oncogene renders it vulnerable to therapeutic intervention. This review focuses on the first-line treatment of advanced ALK-positive NSCLC using

SUBMITTER: Gandhi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5217519 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature