Efficacy of crizotinib therapy for a patient with non-small cell lung cancer with ALK gene rearrangement – case report and review of current therapeutic options

Abstract

Introduction . Currently, nearly 23,000 cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in Poland annually, of which 5% are cases with rearrangements in the ALK gene. In recent years, tremendous progress has been made in understanding the genetic makeup of this type of cancer, which has enabled the use of new therapies, in particular, molecularly targeted drugs. Crizotinib is the first oral small molecule inhibitor of ALK, MET and ROS1 receptor tyrosine Kinases approved by the European Medicines Agency(EMA). Case report. The paper presents the case of a 62-year-old patient diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer with rearrangement in the ALK gene in stage IV of the disease. The patient was qualified for treatment with crizotinib under the B6 drug programme. Treatment started in May 2019. During treatment, assessment was made at 3 control points, where the first and second showed a partial response according to the RECIST 1.1 scale; in the next assessment, the response was maintained in the form of disease stabilization.

Keywords

• lung cancer
• crizotinib
• tyrosine kinase inhibitors
• alk gene rearrangement