ALK
Also known as ALK fusion, ALK receptor tyrosine kinase, anaplastic lymphoma kinase
Tumour types
non-small cell lung cancer
ALK encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase; oncogenic activation in solid tumors typically arises from a chromosomal rearrangement producing an ALK fusion (most commonly EML4-ALK in NSCLC), rather than a point mutation.
Detection targets a gene fusion/rearrangement rather than a single nucleotide variant, which affects which assay modality is fit for purpose.
Clinical significance
ALK fusion-positive NSCLC is eligible for first-line ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy.
fda — FDA-approved product labeling for ALK TKIs
FDA-approved treatments
- Alecensa (alectinib) — ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC (first-line and post-crizotinib) [fda]
- Alunbrig (brigatinib) — ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC [ema]
- Xalkori (crizotinib) — ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC [fda]
- Lorbrena (lorlatinib) — ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC (first-line and later-line) [fda]
Prevalence
ALK gene rearrangements occur in approximately 3%-7% of NSCLC, more common in younger patients and never-smokers. [fda]
Tests / detection method
FISH, IHC, NGS (fusion calling)
Therapeutic pipeline
- Next-generation ALK inhibitors targeting compound resistance mutations (ALK compound resistance mutations) [fda]
Recent news for ALK
PubMed Central · Aug 20, 2026
Clinical Evaluation of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) Inhibitors for the First-Line Treatment of Advanced ALK-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Based on the 2nd Edition of China's Drug Evaluation and Selection Guideline.
Read at PubMed CentralPubMed Central · Aug 19, 2026
Three decades of anaplastic lymphoma kinase: from physiological roles to cancer and immune evasion.
Read at PubMed CentralPubMed Central · Aug 14, 2026
Targeted immunotherapies for anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive pediatric tumors: current advances and future perspectives.
Read at PubMed CentralPubMed Central · May 22, 2026
Primary Pulmonary Epithelioid Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Sarcoma With SQSTM1::ALK Fusion.
Read at PubMed Central