Co-alteration of EGFR mutation and ALK rearrangement in non-small cell lung cancer: Case series

RATIONALE: Current guidelines for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) recommend the use of targeted agents for specific driver genes after confirming genetic alterations. Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement are usually mutually exclusive, EGFR and ALK co-alterations have been reported increasingly in cases of NSCLC. However, the optimal treatment for these cases has not been established. PATIENT CONCERNS: This case series describes three patients diagnosed with advanced non-squamous NSCLC who harbored EGFR and ALK co-alterations. The complaints for each case are as follows: 57-year-old woman with coughing and dyspnea in case 1, 32-year-old man with diplopia in case 2 and 77-year-old woman with chest discomfort in case 3. DIAGNOSES: Three never-smokers were diagnosed pathologically with stage IV adenocarcinoma of the lung. Subsequent molecular studies revealed the EGFR L858R mutation gene and ALK rearrangement, which were proven by real-time polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization, respectively. INTERVENTIONS: All 3 patients received first-line therapy with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Cases 1 and 2 were treated with ALK-TKIs as second-line therapy and received additional EGFR-TKIs as third- and fourth-line regimens. OUTCOMES: The patients achieved partial responses to EGFR-TKIs according to radiologic findings. However, second-line ALK-TKI therapy was ineffective in cases 1 and 2. LESSONS: Cases of NSCLC with concomitant EGFR mutation and ALK rearrangement are rare, and the selection of an optimal targeted therapy is challenging. Here, EGFR-TKI appeared to yield better outcomes than ALK-TKI in patients with NSCLC who harbored EGFR/ALK co-alterations.