Efficacy and Safety of First-Line Treatment Strategies for Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis

Background: Targeted therapies have led to significant improvement in the management and prognosis of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We performed a network meta-analysis of frontline treatment options of ALK-positive NSCLC to provide clinical guidance.
Conclusions: Lorlatinib is associated with the highest PFS benefit and lowest risk of CNS progression benefits for patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC, compared with other first-line treatments, but with higher toxicity. The implementation of a newer generation of ALK-TKIs in the first-line treatment of ALK-positive NSCLC into current clinical practice is evolving rapidly. READ ARTICLE

Frontiers in Oncology DOI:10.3389/fonc.2021.754768

Authors: Ling Peng, Dafeng Lu2, Yang Xia, Shaodong Hong, Giovanni Selvaggi, Justin Stebbing, Yilan Sun, Fei Liang

Identification of a Novel SLC8A1-ALK Fusion and Non-Canonical Expression Significantly Responding to ALK-TKIs in Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report

Approximately 2–7% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer harbor anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement events. Of note, typical ALK actionable rearrangements are sensitive to treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, different types of ALK fusion influence the clinical outcomes of this therapeutic approach. Approximately 10–40% of patients with ALK-fusion positive non-small cell lung cancer do not response to ALK-TKI therapy. Therefore, it is important to accurately identify the types of ALK rearrangement for appropriate selection of clinical treatment. We find a strategy combining DNA-targeted next-generation sequencing with RNA reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and sequencing, besides fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, may provide an effective and practical solution for correct identification of partner genes and fusion structures in the diagnosis of ALK rearrangements, particularly for non-canonical expression patterns of ALK fusion events. The combined approach may lead to more benefits for patients. READ ARTICLE

OncoTargets and Therapy DOI:10.2147/OTT.S319845

Authors: Xingyu Zhu, Yuqi He, Yin Wang,Yan Lei, Xiaoxing Su, Yifan Liu, Shuangxiu Wu, Zhengfu He

Later-Line Treatment with Lorlatinib in ALK- and ROS1-Rearrangement-Positive NSCLC: A Retrospective, Multicenter Analysis

In clinical practice, patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearrangement–positive non–small-cell lung cancer commonly receive sequential treatment with ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The third-generation agent lorlatinib has been shown to inhibit a wide range of ALK resistance mutations and thus offers potential benefit in later lines, although real-world data are lacking. This multicenter study retrospectively investigated later-line, real-world use of lorlatinib in patients with advanced ALK- or ROS1-positive lung cancer. Fifty-one patients registered in a compassionate use program in Austria, who received second- or later-line lorlatinib between January 2016 and May 2020, were included in this retrospective real-world data analysis. Median follow-up was 25.3 months. Median time of lorlatinib treatment was 4.4 months for ALK-positive and 12.2 months for ROS-positive patients. ALK-positive patients showed a response rate of 43.2%, while 85.7% percent of the ROS1-positive pa.....READ ARTICLE

Pharmaceuticals DOI: 10.3390/ph13110371

Author: Maximilian J. Hochmair, Hannah Fabikan ,Oliver Illini, Christoph Weinlinger ,Ulrike Setinek, Dagmar Krenbek , Helmut Prosch , Markus Rauter ,Michael Schumacher ,Ewald Wöll ,Romana Wass ,Elmar Brehm ,Gudrun Absenger , Tatjana Bundalo , Peter Errhalt , Matthias Urban and Arschang Valipour