Early-stage ALK-positive lung cancer: a narrative review
Monica F. Chen, Jamie E. Chaft
Abstract
Background and Objective: -positive NSCLC and the utility of targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. Methods: -positive NSCLC using PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov. Last search was run on July 3, 2022. There were no language or time frame restrictions. Key Content and Findings: in early-stage disease have had conflicting results. ALK TKIs are not approved in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting and there is a lack of large, randomized trial results. Several trials are currently accruing but results are not expected for several years. Conclusions: alterations, lack of universal genetic testing, and the rapid pace of drug development. Expanded lung cancer screening recommendations, liberalization of surrogate endpoints (i.e., pathological complete response and major pathological response), growth of multicenter national clinical trials, and new diagnostic technologies (i.e., cell-free DNA liquid biopsies) provide hope of generating much needed data to definitively answer the question of the utility of ALK-directed therapies in the early-stage setting.