Thromboembolism in ALK+ and ROS1+ NSCLC patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

In this study, we confirmed that there is an increased incidence of TTE in both ALK+ and ROS1+ NSCLC patients as compared to controls (non-ALK+ and non-ROS1+) by meta-analysis. Additionally, time-to-event analysis in this study served as a second meta-analytic method to provide dual sensitivity and confirmed similar elevated TTE risks among ALK+ and ROS1+ NSCLC patients. VTE (primarily PE and DVT) is the primary TE event of interest investigated in the studies included in this systematic review. In general, this meta-analysis indicated there is about a 2.5-fold and slightly higher than 3-fold increase in VTE among ALK+ and ROS1+ patients, respectively when compared to non-ALK+ and non-ROS1+ NSCLC patients. READ ARTICLE

Lung Cancer DOI:10.1016/j.lungcan.2021.05.019

Authors: Viola W. Zhu, Joseph J. Zhao, Yanfei Gao, Nicholas L. Syn, Shannon S. Zhang, Sai-Hong Ignatius Ou, Kenneth A. Bauer, Misako Nagasaka

Efficacy and safety of ALK inhibitors in ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: No overall survival (OS) benefit has been reported from a mature randomized trial with the use of ALK inhibitors. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of ALK inhibitors compared to chemotherapy (ALK vs. chemo) and 2nd generation ALK inhibitors compared to 1 st generation ALK inhibitors (ALK-2 G vs. ALK-1 G)... Conclusions: This meta-analysis is the first, to our knowledge, to report an OS and PFS benefit with the use of ALK inhibitors compared to chemotherapy from randomized trial data. A trend toward a better OS was also seen with ALK-2 G vs. ALK-1 G and this is likely because of crossover effects and limited OS follow-up. Longer follow up and further research are warranted to directly compare ALK inhibitor sequences and to understand the outcomes of second generation ALK inhibitors as initial therapy. READ ARTICLE

Lung Cancer DOI:10.1016/j.lungcan.2020.04.011

Authors: Daniel Breadner, Phillip Blanchette, Sumugan Shanmuganathan, Ronald Gabriel Boldt, Jacques Raphael

The incidence of ALK inhibitor-related pneumonitis in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: We evaluated the incidence of pneumonitis in clinical trials of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and compared the incidence among different cohorts, in order to identify possible predisposing factors for ALK inhibitor-related pneumonitis. Conclusions: The overall incidence of ALK inhibitor pneumonitis was 2.14% in patients with advanced NSCLS. The patients from Japanese cohorts had a higher incidence of ALK-inhibitor pneumonitis, which indicates the need for increased awareness and caution for pneumonitis in Japanese patients treated with ALK inhibitors. READ ARTICLE

Lung Cancer
DOI:10.1016/j.lungcan.2019.04.015

Authors: Chong Hyun Suh, Kyung Won Kim, Junhee Pyo, Hiroto Hatabu, Mizuki Nishino