Strategies to overcome resistance to ALK inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer: a narrative review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements are detected in 3–7% of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There are currently 5 U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for the treatment of patients with ALK-positive lung cancer in the advanced/metastatic disease setting. Despite these advances, most patients with ALK-positive lung cancer who are treated with ALK TKI therapy ultimately experience disease progression due to various mechanisms of drug resistance. In this review, we discuss strategies to address acquired therapeutic resistance to ALK inhibition, novel agents and combinatorial strategies in development for both on and off-target resistance, and some emerging approaches to prolong response to ALK inhibitors. METHODS: We performed a search of peer-reviewed literature in the English language, conference abstracts, and trial registrations from the MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Elsevier), and CENTRAL (Cochrane Library) databases and major international oncology meetings up to August 2022. We then screened for studies describing interventions to overcome ALK resistance based on review of each title and abstract. KEY CONTENT AND FINDINGS: For patients with oligo-progression, treatment may include maintaining the same systemic treatment beyond progression while adding local therapies to progressing lesions. Strategies to combat ALK TKI resistance mediated by on-target resistance mechanisms include 4(th) generation TKIs (TPX-0131, NVL-655) and proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) currently in development. While for those patients who develop tumor progression due to off-target (ALK independent) resistance, options may include combination therapies targeting ALK and other downstream or parallel pathways, novel antibody drug conjugates, or combinations of ALK inhibitors with chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Lastly, other potential strategies being explored in the clinic include circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) surveillance to monitor for molecular mediators of drug resistance prior to frank progression on imaging studies and utilization of ALK TKIs in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies to overcome resistance to currently available ALK inhibitors are urgently needed. Given the variety of resistance mechanisms, tailormade approaches are required for disease control.