ALK positive lung cancer | |
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Micrograph showing ALK positive lung adenocarcinoma. H&E stain. | |
Specialty | Oncology |
ALK positive lung cancer is a primary malignant lung tumor whose cells contain a characteristic abnormal configuration of DNA wherein, most frequently, the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) gene is fused to the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene. Less frequently, there will be novel translocation partners for the ALK gene, in place of EML4.[1] This abnormal gene fusion leads to the production of a protein that appears, in many cases, to promote and maintain the malignant behavior of the cancer cells.[2]
The transforming EML4-ALK fusion gene was first reported in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) in 2007.[3]
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