Rearrangements involving the ALK gene define two distinct entities in the new 2008 WHO classification of lymphoid neoplasms, i.e. ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma and a rare subset of ALK+ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Recently, rearrangements involving ALK and the echinoderm microtubule associated protein-like 4 (EML4) gene were described as a specific genetic alteration in about 6% of non...

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMT) of the central nervous system (CNS) are rare entities that have a predilection for local recurrences. Approximately half of the inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors contain translocations that result in the over-expression of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene. We hereby present the case of a patient diagnosed with a left parieto-occipital IMT tha...

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma composed of CD30-positive cells and now recognized as three different entities: primary cutaneous ALCL, primary systemic anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive (ALK+) ALCL and primary ALK-negative (ALK-) ALCL. ALK+ ALCL is supposed to have a better prognosis than ALK- ALCL. It is rarely metastasized to other sites, es...

BACKGROUND Advanced ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients will develop acquired resistance after anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors therapies. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) production and tumor vessel formation were found to be more significantly enriched in ALK-rearrangement NSCLC than that in epidermal growth factor receptor or Kirsten rat sarcoma...

ALK gene missense mutations are conventionally considered non-driver without pathological significance, and therefore, there is a lack of effective target drugs against them. The standard treatment option for patients with chemotherapy or antiangiogenic agents, which usually results in unsatisfactory outcomes. Herein, we present the case patient metastatic lung adenocarcinoma harboring only mut...

BACKGROUND Lung cancer with ovarian metastasis or adnexal metastasis harboring anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene translocation is rare. Crizotinib, a novel ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has already shown an impressive single-agent activity in ALK positive lung cancer. METHODS To summarize the case of clinical data and treatment of a 33-year-old woman with pelvic adnexal metastasis NSCLC....

Receptor tyrosine kinases have emerged as promising therapeutic targets for a diverse set of tumors. Overactivation of the tyrosine kinase anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has been reported in several types of malignancies such as anaplastic large cell lymphoma, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, neuroblastoma, and non-small-cell lung carcinoma. Further characterization of the molecular role o...

Twenty years ago anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) was discovered in anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), but the interest in ALK as an oncogene grew only in recent years when ALK rearrangements were reported as recurrent genetic lesions in lung carcinoma and activating single point mutations were described in neuroblastoma. In this review we will describe the main features of ALK-rearranged s...

The anaplastic lymphoma tyrosine kinase (ALK) gene was first described as a driver mutation in anaplastic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Dysregulated ALK expression is now an identified driver mutation in nearly twenty different human malignancies, including 4-9% of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). The tyrosine kinase inhibitor crizotinib is more effective than standard chemotherapeutic agents in ...

Paradigm shifting advances in cancer can occur after discovering the key oncogenic drivers of the malignant process, understanding their detailed molecular mechanisms, and exploiting this transdisciplinary knowledge therapeutically. A variety of human malignancies have anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocations, amplifications, or oncogenic mutations, including anaplastic large cell lympho...