Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Detection of Targetable Alterations in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer using Next-generation Sequencing
05:17

Detection of Targetable Alterations in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer using Next-generation Sequencing

Published on: October 10, 2025

428

Response to crizotinib in advanced ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancers with different ALK-fusion variants

Yan Li1, Tongtong Zhang2, Jing Zhang1

  • 1Departments of Pathology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

Lung Cancer (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|March 25, 2018
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) show varied responses to crizotinib. Patients with EML4-ALK variant 2 demonstrated significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) when treated with crizotinib.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Genetics
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements occur in about 5% of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs).
  • Crizotinib is an effective treatment for ALK-rearranged NSCLCs, but response heterogeneity exists.
  • Understanding ALK variants is crucial for optimizing treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the clinical efficacy of crizotinib in patients with different anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) variants in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  • To identify specific ALK variants associated with differential treatment responses to crizotinib.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective evaluation of 96 patients with ALK-rearrangement treated with crizotinib.
  • Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to identify ALK variants in 60 patients.
  • Survival analysis, including Progression-Free Survival (PFS), was performed.

Main Results:

  • Median PFS for all 96 patients was 14.17 months.
  • EML4-ALK variant 2 was associated with significantly longer PFS (P=.021).
  • TP53 mutation showed a borderline trend towards unfavorable PFS (P=.068). Patients with variant 3a/b had shorter response durations.

Conclusions:

  • EML4-ALK variant 2 is a significant factor for prolonged PFS in NSCLC patients treated with crizotinib.
  • Further research into ALK variants can guide personalized NSCLC treatment strategies.
Keywords:
ALK translocationCrizotinibNext-generation sequencingNon-small cell lung cancerVariants

More Related Videos

Orthotopic Implantation of Patient-Derived Cancer Cells in Mice Recapitulates Advanced Colorectal Cancer06:49

Orthotopic Implantation of Patient-Derived Cancer Cells in Mice Recapitulates Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Published on: February 10, 2023

2.8K
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Molecular Biomarker Testing for Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer07:59

Author Spotlight: Advancements in Molecular Biomarker Testing for Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Published on: September 8, 2023

1.8K

Related Concept Videos

Nuclear Fusion02:45

Nuclear Fusion

The process of converting very light nuclei into heavier nuclei is also accompanied by the conversion of mass into large amounts of energy, a process called fusion. The principal source of energy in the sun is a net fusion reaction in which four hydrogen nuclei fuse and ultimately produce one helium nucleus and two positrons.
A helium nucleus has a mass that is 0.7% less than that of four hydrogen nuclei; this lost mass is converted into energy during the fusion. This reaction produces about...
33.9K
Histone Variants at the Centromere02:30

Histone Variants at the Centromere

Histone variants are the histone proteins with structural and sequence variations. These variants may be regarded as “mutant” forms that replace their canonical histone counterparts in the nucleosomes. Specific post-translational modifications on the histone variants enable further chromatin complexity and regulate tissue-specific gene expression. The most common histone variants are from histone H2A, H2B, and linker histone H1 families. However, several variants of histone H3...
5.1K
[3,3] Sigmatropic Rearrangement of 1,5-Dienes: Cope Rearrangement01:21

[3,3] Sigmatropic Rearrangement of 1,5-Dienes: Cope Rearrangement

The Cope rearrangement is classified as a [3,3] sigmatropic shift in 1,5-dienes, leading to a more stable, isomeric 1,5-diene. The reaction involves a concerted movement of six electrons, four from two π bonds and two from a σ bond, via an energetically favorable chair-like transition state.
3.5K
[3,3] Sigmatropic Rearrangement of Allyl Vinyl Ethers: Claisen Rearrangement01:24

[3,3] Sigmatropic Rearrangement of Allyl Vinyl Ethers: Claisen Rearrangement

The Claisen rearrangement is a [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement of allyl vinyl ethers to unsaturated carbonyl compounds. The rearrangement is a concerted pericyclic reaction proceeding via a chair-like transition state.
2.9K
Preparation of Diols and Pinacol Rearrangement01:57

Preparation of Diols and Pinacol Rearrangement

Compounds bearing two hydroxyl groups are known as diols. When the hydroxyl groups are located on adjacent carbon atoms, the diols are called vicinal diols or glycols. Under acidic conditions, vicinal diols undergo a specific reaction called pinacol rearrangement.
The reaction begins with transferring a proton from the acid catalyst to one of the hydroxyl groups, producing an oxonium ion.
4.3K
Lung Capacity01:47

Lung Capacity

The air in the lungs is measured in volumes and capacities. Lung volume measures reflect the amount of air taken in, released, or left over after a lung function, like a single inhalation. Lung capacity measures are sums of two or more lung volume measures.
56.4K