Another Targeted Therapy for Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer?

Crizotinib, an anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor, yielded a response rate of 57% in a phase I trial.

Some patients with lung cancer have abnormalities in the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) protein. Investigators conducted a phase I trial of an orally delivered small-molecule inhibitor — crizotinib (PF-02341066) — that preferentially inhibits the ALK and c-met (hepatocyte growth factor) receptor tyrosine kinases in solid tumors. The drug's manufacturer partially funded the study.

In the dose-escalation phase of the trial (increasing from 50 mg once daily to 300 mg twice daily), two patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and an ALK rearrangement exhibited response to the drug. That prompted screening of an expanded cohort of about 1500 NSCLC patients for ALK rearrangements. Of the 82 patients ultimately enrolled, 96% had adenocarc…

Reviewing Author

Lin-Chi Chen, MD, PhD