Onkológia 1/2017

Actual therapeutic strategy of patients with non small cell lung cancer with EML4-ALK rearrangement

Targeted therapy of non small cell lung cancer has settled down in Slovakia over last decade, what has increased the demand for molecular genetics analysis of tumor cells in effort to detect genetic alterations of DNA. EML4-ALK rearrangement is the second most frequent genetic alteration in lung adenocarcinoma with real clinical application, just after activating mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Non small cell lung carcinoma harboring EML4-ALK rearrangement represents selective subgroup with specific tumor fenotype sensitive to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKI). Currently are bioptic samples examined for EML4-ALK rearrangement in real-life clinical practice in central Slovakia. Samples are firstly excluded for activating mutations of EGFR according to assumption that EML4-ALK rearrangement and EGFR together with KRAS mutation are excluded reciprocally.

Keywords: non small cell lung cancer, adenocarcinoma, EML4-ALK rearrangement, crizotinib, ceritinib