Patients with ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) responded significantly better to pemetrexed (brand name: Alimta) than patients whose cancer did not show ALK translocation, according to research published in the September issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).
Lung adenocarcinoma can display genetic mutations, including anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. Knowing whether the tumor displays either of these oncogenic mutations can be key to effective treatment, as different cancers respond to different agents.
Researchers at Seoul National University genotyped 95 Korean NSCLC patients into three groups: 43 (45%) had EGFR mutations; 15 (16%) showed ALK rearrangement; and 37 (39%) had wild type (WT) NSCLC.
All patients received 500 mg of pemetrexed every 21 days. Treatment was continued until disease progression warranted termination, unacceptable toxicity was found, or until the patient or physician decided to discontinue therapy. Tumor response was evaluated every two cycles, or earlier if there were clinical signs of progression.