Published in

Nature Research, npj Precision Oncology, 1(7), 2023

DOI: 10.1038/s41698-023-00378-9

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Complete response to alectinib in ALK-fusion metastatic salivary ductal carcinoma

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

AbstractThe advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has allowed for the identification of novel therapeutic targets for patients with uncommon cancers. It is well known that fusion translocations are potent driver of cancer pathogenesis and can render tumors exquisitely sensitive to matching targeted therapies. Here we describe a patient with ALK-fusion positive widely metastatic salivary ductal carcinoma, who achieved a durable complete response from alectinib, a potent and specific ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor. This case serves as another reminder that ALK-fusions can be targeted regardless of histology and can afford patients dramatic and durable benefit. It also emphasizes the need for insurance coverage for such beneficial therapies. While ALK fusions are exceedingly rare in salivary ductal carcinoma, the presence of multiple other targetable aberrations supports the recommendation for universal NGS testing for such tumors.