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Updated: May 1, 2026

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ALK-driven tumors and targeted therapy: focus on crizotinib

Carlos Murga-Zamalloa1, Megan S Lim1

  • 1Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine
|April 10, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a promising therapeutic target in various cancers. Targeting ALK shows extraordinary results in initial trials, indicating its potential in cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Therapeutics

Background:

  • Receptor tyrosine kinases are key targets in cancer therapy.
  • Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) overactivation is implicated in multiple malignancies, including lymphoma, neuroblastoma, and lung cancer.
  • ALK signaling creates a dependency in tumor cells, influencing their behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) as a therapeutic target in various cancers.
  • To understand the oncogenic signaling driven by ALK.
  • To evaluate the potential of ALK-targeted therapies.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on ALK in cancer.
  • Analysis of ALK's molecular role and oncogenic signaling pathways.
  • Examination of initial clinical trial data for ALK inhibitors.

Main Results:

  • Overactivation of ALK is a feature in several tumor types, creating tumor dependence.
  • ALK-positive tumors exhibit distinct characteristics compared to ALK-negative tumors.
  • Early clinical trials targeting ALK have demonstrated significant efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) represents a promising therapeutic target for a range of cancers.
  • Targeting ALK has shown remarkable success in initial patient trials.
  • Further research is needed to fully establish ALK-selective targeting as a definitive treatment strategy.
Keywords:
kinaselymphomapathobiologytherapy

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