Gene fusion variants in ALK-rearranged NSCLC may predict patient outcomes, but previous results have been inconclusive. Fusion isoforms coexisting in the same tumor may affect the efficacy of targeted therapy, but they have not been investigated.
Patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC who received crizotinib treatments were recruited. Precrizotinib tumor tissues were analyzed by the anchored multiplex polymerase chain reaction for targeted RNA sequencing. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression were used to compare overall and progression-free survivals.
It was concluded that intratumoral EML4-ALK isoforms may predict the efficacy of targeted therapy in ALK-rearranged NSCLC. Temporal changes of intratumoral fusion isoforms may result from differential selection pressures that a drug might have on one isoform over another. Larger studies on fusion heterogeneity using RNA sequencing are warranted. READ ARTICLE
Journal of Thoracic Oncology DOI:10.1016/j.jtho.2021.09.016
Authors: Zhengbo Song, Shifeng Lian, Silvia Mak, Maggie Zi-Ying Chow, Chunwei Xu, Wenxian Wang, Hoi Yee Keung, Chenyu Lu, Firaol Tamiru Kebede, Yanqiu Gao, Wah Cheuk, William Chi Shing Cho, Mengsu Yang, Zongli Zheng
