Dramatic response to crizotinib in a breast cancer patient with ALK gene rearrangement

Rearrangements of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene are present in 3–5% of non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), while it was 0.2% in NSCLC tumors. Due to its low frequency, it is extremely challenging to conduct randomized clinical trials of ALK-targeted therapies in NSCLC tumors. In the present case, we describe the first reported case of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) harboring the ALK fusion mutation that responded to ALK-targeted therapy after progression with two lines of chemotherapy. Searching for ALK gene rearrangement or other fusion, especially in patients with chemotherapy-resistant TNBC, opens the door to new treatment strategies.
Source: Anti-Cancer Drugs - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Case Reports Source Type: research