August 2016
- A 51-year-old female presents to her physician with symptoms of fatigue, intermittent chest pain, and lower back pain
- PMH: hypertension managed on a calcium channel blocker; osteoarthritis
- No history of smoking
- CT of the chest showed a 4.5-cm mass in the upper right lobe and enlarged hilar lymph nodes
- Bronchoscopy and transbronchial lung biopsy were performed:
- Pathology revealed a grade 2 adenocarcinoma, consistent with a lung primary tumor
- Molecular testing:
- FISH: positive forALKtranslocation
- NGS: negative forEGFR, ROS1, RET, BRAF, KRAS
- IHC: PD-L1 expression in 0% of cells
- Staging with PET/CT showed18F-FDG uptake in the lung mass, hilar nodes, and lumbar spine (L4/L5)
- Brain MRI, negative for intracranial metastases
- The patient was started on therapy with crizotinib
- Follow-up imaging at 3 and 6 months showed marked regression of the lung mass, nodal spread, and bone lesions
June 2017
- After 9 months on crizotinib, the patient reported worsening fatigue and back pain
- CT showed increased size of the pulmonary mass and bone lesions
- Brain MRI showed disseminated small lesions
- Crizotinib was discontinued and the patient was started on brigatinib