Clinical factors predictive of survival outcomes in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer related death in the Western world. The most common type of lung cancer is called non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and approximately 3-5% of these tumours have a change in the genes of the tumour called an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement (also called ALK-positive (ALK+) NSCLC). This genetic change makes these tumours very sensitive to treatment with oral therapy called ALK inhibitors, which work by blocking and inhibiting proteins involved in the abnormal growth of tumour cells.

Over recent years, survival outcomes for these patients appear to be improving dramatically. However, eventually all of these tumours become resistant to this treatment and patients eventually die from the disease. Some people with this type of lung cancer are now living for several years with a terminal cancer diagnosis, whilst others deteriorate and die rapidly despite starting treatment. The ability to identify which patients are likely to have a poorer survival outcome may help to determine who needs to have more intensive therapy from the start, and who may be able to have less intensive therapy and not undergo treatment with unnecessary side effects. Although there are many clinical trials comparing drug A to drug B, there is still little known about whether clinical factors such as sex, age, smoking status, performance status (general fitness), or ethnicity are predictive of survival outcomes. Our research aims to look at whether these clinical factors can help predicts survival outcomes, and hence help to tailor treatment to individuals.