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Your diagnosis

Change in my ALK gene

How will my doctor know if I have a change in my ALK gene?

Getting an accurate diagnosis is important, so your doctor will make sure you have various tests to find out as much about your cancer as possible. That way, you and they can work together to create the best possible treatment plan for you.

Tests to see if you have a change in your ALK gene will include a biopsy – you can learn more about these here.

You can learn more about how changes to your genes can cause cancer here.

Does having a change in my ALK gene affect my prognosis?

When thinking about what it means to have ALK+ NSCLC, many people wonder what their prognosis is. But cancer is a highly complex disease that can be affected by lots of different factors, so it’s hard for a doctor to give anybody an exact amount of time. These factors can include:

  • Your age 
  • Your sex
  • Your race/ethnicity 
  • Where you live and work 
  • The type of work you do 
  • Your diet 
  • Your weight 
  • If you’ve ever smoked/how much alcohol you drink
  • Your family history of illnesses 

It's worth being aware that ALK+ NSCLC is considered more aggressive than some other forms of NSCLC26 – nine out of 10 people are diagnosed after the cancer has already spread to other parts of their body (called ‘metastasis’, or ‘advanced cancer’).27,28 With regular chemotherapy, about half of people with advanced ALK+ NSCLC pass away about 2 years after their diagnosis.29

However, research has led to the discovery of modern treatments called ‘ALK inhibitors’, which are specifically designed to treat ALK+ NSCLC.30,31

These ALK inhibitors have helped increase the time that somebody can live with ALK+ NSCLC. In 2019, a clinical trial in 110 people with advanced, stage 4 ALK+ NSCLC was published. It found that with treatment, half of the patients were still alive almost 7 years later.32

Click on one of the options below to learn more 

Alterations

Alterations

Changes to DNA can cause some cancers to start growing. ALK+, RET+, and ROS1+ are examples of these changes.
RET

RET

Discover what RET+ NSCLC means and what impact it might have on your NSCLC.
ROS1

ROS1

Learn what causes ROS1+ NSCLC and how this might affect you.
Click here to view the glossary
ALK
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid
NSCLC
Non-small cell lung cancer

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  14. Kayaniyil S et al. Curr Oncol 2016; 23(6): e589–e597.
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  18. World Health Organization (WHO). Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health. 2018. Available at: http://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health. Accessed October 2021.
  19. Berrington de González A et al. J Med Screen 2008; 15(3): 153–158.
  20. Friedman DL et al. J Natl Cancer Inst 2010; 102(14): 1083–1095.
  21. American Cancer Society. Radon and cancer. 2015. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/radiation-exposure/radon.html. Accessed October 2021.
  22. Shimizu Y et al. Radiat Res 1990; 121(2): 120–141.
  23. Schwartz AG & Ruckdeschel JC. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2005; 173(1): 16–22.
  24. Shiels MS et al. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2009; 52(5): 611–622.
  25. Winstone TA et al. Chest 2013; 143(2): 305–314.
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  27. Johung KL et al. J Clin Oncol 2015; 34: 107.
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  29. Ochi N & Takigawa N. Transl Cancer Res 2017;6(Suppl 3): S515–S518.
  30. European Medicines Agency. Xalkori (crizotinib) European public assessment report, summary for the public. EMA/73311/2018, EMEA/H/C/002489. 2017. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/overview/xalkori-epar-summary-public_en.pdf. Accessed October 2021.
  31. European Medicines Agency. Alecensa (alectinib) European public assessment report, summary for the public. EMA/376895/2018, EMEA/H/C/004164. 2018. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/overview/alecensa-epar-summary-public_en.pdf. Accessed October 2021.
  32. Pacheco MJ et al. J Thorac Oncol 2019; 14(4): 691–700.