Second- and third-generation ALK inhibitors each have diverse mechanisms of resistance. Only a fraction of resistance is due to secondary mutations of the ALK gene. Altered bypass tracts are likely the case in some other instances. Genomic alterations of other genes and pathways may be a third mechanism of resistance. Repeat liquid biopsies during the course of patients’ treatments can provide a minimally invasive method for sampling cancer-specific genomic information that leads to improved treatment selection. In the Lung Cancer Clinic of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, serial plasma samples were collected from six lung cancer patients with ALK rearrangement at multiple serial clinic visits pre- and post- progression on next-generation ALK inhibitors. We focused on next generation agents, as there has been previous focus on crizotinib resistance mechanisms already.The study found that broad panel-based NGS of plasma cfDNA enabled noninvasive detection of systemic (but not CNS-pr..... READ ARTICLE
Journal of Thoracic Oncology DOI:10.1016/j.jtho.2019.08.1158
Authors: E. Stewart, A. Wang, J. Huang, H. Bao, X. Wu, D. Patel, Z. Chen, J. Law, P. Bradbury, F. Shepherd, A. Sacher, M. Tsao, S. Bratman, N. Leighl, T. Pugh, G. Liu
