Different Therapeutic Strategies in 2 Young Patients with Advanced ALK-Rearranged Lung Adenocarcinoma: “The Light at the End of the Tunnel”

Abstract

Malignant pleural effusion represents a prognostic negative factor on survival conferring stage IV disease. The median of survival is 5 months and a 5-year survival of about 3%. We describe the therapeutic success obtained from different strategies in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors in 2 young women showing malignant pleural effusion secondary to advanced ALK-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma. This report shows that for patients with EGFR mutations in advanced lung adenocarcinoma-associated malignant pleural effusion, complete response to EGFR TKI inhibitor can be observed mostly if pleural effusion and primary lung adenocarcinoma show the same EGFR mutation status.

Keywords

• lung adenocarcinoma
• malignant pleural effusion
• anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor therapy