Introduction: Presence of Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocations identifies a distinct subgroup of NSCLC with different prognosis and therapeutic opportunities. In cancer cells, ALK gene fusion acts as oncogenic driver, representing an attractive therapeutic target in NSCLC.
Areas covered: For the purpose of this review article, data from preclinical and clinical trials with crizotinib were collected and analyzed.
Expert opinion: Available data demonstrated that crizotinib is the best option we can offer today to ALK-positive NSCLC not previously exposed to ALK inhibitors, irrespective of line of therapy. In two large Phase III trials, crizotinib demonstrated to improve response rate and progression-free survival when compared to standard chemotherapy, both in first- and second-line treatment. Furthermore, results from pivotal Phase I and II studies indicated that crizotinib was active even in heavily pretreated populations. In addition, crizotinib displayed a favorable toxicity profile with a broad spectrum of adverse events, most of which is easily to manage and rarely require dose reduction or interruption. Unfortunately, almost all patients became refractory to crizotinib due to emergence of acquired resistance. The optimal management of these patients has not yet been defined. Novel ALK inhibitors are under investigation.
Keywords: acquired resistance; anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor; anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive NSCLC; crizotinib; oncogene-addicted NSCLC.