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