Complete and durable response to crizotinib in a patient with malignant pleural mesothelioma harboring CD74-ROS1 fusion

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and deadly malignancy with an extremely poor prognosis. The median overall survival (OS) of this disease is 12–18 months. However, the oncogenic driver mutations of MPM are rarely understood, and the targeted therapy for it is still under investigation. In this report, we describe a case of MPM with CD74-ROS1 fusion who obtains complete and durable response after receiving crizotinib. By the time of submission, the progression-free survival (PFS) with crizotinib has been 6.0 years, and the patient has survived for 7.6 years. Currently, he is still in complete remission (CR). To the best of our knowledge, this case represents the first report of CD74-ROS1 fusion identified in MPM. Meanwhile, it is also the first report of complete and long-term response to crizotinib in a patient with MPM positive for CD74-ROS1 fusion. This case report might contribute to the tumorigenesis and targeted therapy of this deadly disease.