Inhibition of MEK alone and in combination with ALK inhibition suppresses tumor growth in a mouse model of ALK positive lung cancer

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer most commonly arises through EML4-ALK chromosomal fusion. We have previously demonstrated that combination of the ALK inhibitor crizotinib with the MEK inhibitor selumetinib was highly effective at reducing cell viability of ALK-positive NSCLC (H3122) cells. In this study, we further investigated the efficacy of crizotinib and selumetinib combination therapy in an in vivo xenograft model of ALK-positive lung cancer. Crizotinib decreased tumor volume by 52% compared to control, and the drug combination reduced tumor growth compared to crizotinib. In addition, MEK inhibition alone reduced tumor growth by 59% compared to control. Crizotinib, selumetinib, alone and in combination were non-toxic at the dose of 25 mg/kg with values for ALT (< 80 U/L) and creatinine (<2 mg/dL) within the normal range. Our results support the combined use of crizotinib with selumetinib in ALK-positive lung cancer but raise the possibility tha..... READ ARTICLE

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics DOI:10.1124/jpet.120.266049

Authors: Nensi Shrestha, Abigail R Bland, Rebecca L Bower, Rhonda Rosengren, John Ashton