scholarly journals The Challenges of Crizotinib Treatment in a Child With Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 647-654
Author(s):  
Liesbeth Vanheeswijck ◽  
Joris Verlooy ◽  
Els Van de Vijver ◽  
An Bervoets ◽  
Katleen Balliauw ◽  
...  

Survival in cases involving childhood malignancy is reaching nearly 80% in high-income countries, yet cancer remains one of the leading disease-related causes of death in children. In adult oncology the role of targeted therapies is established, but information regarding the use of these therapies in children is limited, largely because targeted therapies were developed in the context of adult pathologies. The few pediatric reports regarding crizotinib, an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor, seem promising. This case of an 8-year-old male with an ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma highlights the challenges of treating children with crizotinib. Our experience with crizotinib was more challenging than described in the limited pediatric reports. Not only was the tumor response poorer than described in the reports, but a substantial amount of side-effects and practical difficulties, such as the method of administration and dosing, made management challenging. Many challenges for the use of targeted therapy in pediatric care currently persist. The limited research in pediatric populations leaves uncertainty regarding efficacy and short- and long-term side effects as well as practical difficulties. Despite a clear underlying biological rationale for certain targeted therapies, their contribution toward improving the outcome of childhood cancer remains largely unclear.

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 253
Author(s):  
Federica Lovisa ◽  
Anna Garbin ◽  
Sara Crotti ◽  
Piero Di Battista ◽  
Ilaria Gallingani ◽  
...  

Over the past 15 years, several biological and pathological characteristics proved their significance in pediatric anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) prognostic stratification. However, the identification of new non-invasive disease biomarkers, relying on the most important disease mechanisms, is still necessary. In recent years, plasmatic circulating small extracellular vesicles (S-EVs) gathered great importance both as stable biomarker carriers and active players in tumorigenesis. In the present work, we performed a comprehensive study on the proteomic composition of plasmatic S-EVs of pediatric ALCL patients compared to healthy donors (HDs). By using a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach, we identified 50 proteins significantly overrepresented in S-EVs of ALCL patients. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis disclosed cellular components and molecular functions connected with S-EV origin and vesicular trafficking, whereas cell adhesion, glycosaminoglycan metabolic process, extracellular matrix organization, collagen fibril organization and acute phase response were the most enriched biological processes. Of importance, consistently with the presence of nucleophosmin (NPM)-ALK fusion protein in ALCL cells, a topological enrichment analysis based on Reactome- and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)-derived networks highlighted a dramatic increase in proteins of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway in ALCL S-EVs, which included heat shock protein 90-kDa isoform alpha 1 (HSP90AA1), osteopontin (SPP1/OPN) and tenascin C (TNC). These results were validated by Western blotting analysis on a panel of ALCL and HD cases. Further research is warranted to better define the role of these S-EV proteins as diagnostic and, possibly, prognostic parameters at diagnosis and for ALCL disease monitoring.


2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 1682-1688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen J. Schlette ◽  
L. Jeffrey Medeiros ◽  
Andre Goy ◽  
Raymond Lai ◽  
George Z. Rassidakis

Purpose Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family, is not detected in normal adult tissues but is overexpressed in various cancers, including some types of lymphoma. The frequency and prognostic significance of survivin expression in anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) is unknown. Materials and Methods We assessed for survivin expression in 62 ALCL tumors (30 anaplastic lymphoma kinase [ALK]-positive and 32 ALK-negative) obtained before doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. Given that survivin is a target of the STAT3 signaling pathway and STAT3 is activated in ALCL, survivin expression was also correlated with STAT3 activation. Results Survivin was expressed in 34 tumors (55%) and did not correlate with ALK. A significant association between survivin expression and STAT3 activation was observed (P = .007, Fisher's exact test). For the ALK-positive group, the 5-year failure-free survival (FFS) was 34% for patients with survivin-positive ALCL compared with 100% for patients with survivin-negative ALCL (P = .009, log-rank test). For the ALK-negative group, the 5-year FFS was 46% for patients with survivin-positive tumors compared with 89% for patients with survivin-negative tumors (P = .03, log-rank test). Overall survival was similarly worse for patients with survivin-positive tumors in both the ALK-positive and ALK-negative groups. Furthermore, multivariate analysis confirmed the independent prognostic value of survivin expression, along with age older than 60 years and Ann Arbor stage III or IV. Conclusion Survivin is expressed in approximately half of ALCL tumors and independently predicts unfavorable clinical outcome. Modulation of survivin expression or function may provide a novel target for experimental therapy in patients with ALCL.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (8) ◽  
pp. 2688-2695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Wlodarska ◽  
Chris De Wolf-Peeters ◽  
Brunangelo Falini ◽  
Gregor Verhoef ◽  
Stephan W. Morris ◽  
...  

Recently, a distinctive entity characterized by expression of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) protein [most frequently due to the t(2;5)(p23;q35)-associated NPM-ALK fusion] has emerged within the heterogenous group of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL) classified as anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL). Sporadic variant 2p23/ALK abnormalities identified in ALK-positive ALCL indicate that genes other than NPM may also be involved in the deregulation of ALK and lymphomagenesis. We report here three cases with an inv(2)(p23q35) detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in young male patients with ALK-positive ALCL. In contrast to ALCL cases with the classical t(2;5)(p23;q35) that usually show both cytoplasmic and nuclear or predominantly nuclear alone localization of the NPM-ALK chimeric product, in all three cases with an inv(2)(p23q35) the ALK protein accumulated in the cytoplasm only, supporting the previous assumption that the oncogenic potential of ALK may not be dependent on its nuclear localization. As the first step to identify theALK partner gene involved in the inv(2)(p23q35), we performed extensive FISH studies and demonstrated that the 2q35 breakpoint occurred within the 1,750-kb region contained within the 914E7 YAC. Moreover, a striking association of the inv(2)(p23q35) with a secondary chromosomal change, viz, ider(2)(q10)inv(2)(p23q35), carrying two additional copies of the putative ALK-related fusion gene, was found in all three patients, suggesting that, in contrast to the standard t(2;5)/NPM-ALK fusion, multiple copies of the putative 2q35-ALK chimeric gene may be required for efficient tumor development. In summary, we demonstrate that the inv(2)(p23q35), a variant of the t(2;5)(p23;q35), is a recurrent chromosomal abnormality in ALK-positive ALCL, the further characterization of which should provide new insight into the pathogenesis of these lymphomas. © 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diwen Pang ◽  
Ling Huang ◽  
Xinmiao Jiang ◽  
Feili Chen ◽  
Hanguo Guo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Relapsed/refractory (R/R) anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) respond to ALK inhibitors, but resistance bears a poor prognosis. No biomarkers predict a long duration of response to ALK inhibitors. The ALK gene was first identified as the fusion partner of the nucleophosmin (NPM1) gene in recurrent t(2;5)(p23;q35) found in an ALCL subset. However, several distinct ALK fusions that result in highly different characteristics have also been described in lymphomas. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 43 patients with pathologically confirmed ALK-positive ALCL at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from February 2007 through February 2020, including seven R/R patients who received ALK inhibitors (six with crizotinib and one with alectinib). We performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) with paraffin-embedded tissue for these seven R/R patients and one patient with a peripheral blood sample. We evaluated clinical characteristics and survival status. Results The median age of all patients was 29 (range 15–66) years. Most patients were male with advanced stage and B symptoms. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 60% and 70%, respectively with a median follow-up of 52.2 (range 2.4–168.6) months. Multivariate analyses revealed that only bone marrow involvement was an independent prognostic factor for PFS (P = 0.03) and OS (P = 0.03). Of the seven R/R patients, the median line number of therapies was four (range 3–7) and that of ALK inhibitor usage was three (range 2–5). The overall response rate was 100% (n = 7). The NGS identified four patients with the NPM1-ALK fusion and two with tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 1 gene (TRAF1)-ALK fusion; the latter quickly developed resistance to chemotherapy and ALK inhibitors. Conclusions ALK inhibitors improved survival of patients with R/R ALK-positive ALCLs. TRAF1-ALK fusion may predict a poor clinical outcome to chemotherapy and ALK inhibitors. This ALK fusion may reflect a trend toward the aggressive behavior of lymphomas.


2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. e27003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Ruf ◽  
Holger Hebart ◽  
Lisa Lyngsie Hjalgrim ◽  
Edita Kabickova ◽  
Peter Lang ◽  
...  

Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (8) ◽  
pp. 2688-2695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Wlodarska ◽  
Chris De Wolf-Peeters ◽  
Brunangelo Falini ◽  
Gregor Verhoef ◽  
Stephan W. Morris ◽  
...  

Abstract Recently, a distinctive entity characterized by expression of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) protein [most frequently due to the t(2;5)(p23;q35)-associated NPM-ALK fusion] has emerged within the heterogenous group of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL) classified as anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL). Sporadic variant 2p23/ALK abnormalities identified in ALK-positive ALCL indicate that genes other than NPM may also be involved in the deregulation of ALK and lymphomagenesis. We report here three cases with an inv(2)(p23q35) detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in young male patients with ALK-positive ALCL. In contrast to ALCL cases with the classical t(2;5)(p23;q35) that usually show both cytoplasmic and nuclear or predominantly nuclear alone localization of the NPM-ALK chimeric product, in all three cases with an inv(2)(p23q35) the ALK protein accumulated in the cytoplasm only, supporting the previous assumption that the oncogenic potential of ALK may not be dependent on its nuclear localization. As the first step to identify theALK partner gene involved in the inv(2)(p23q35), we performed extensive FISH studies and demonstrated that the 2q35 breakpoint occurred within the 1,750-kb region contained within the 914E7 YAC. Moreover, a striking association of the inv(2)(p23q35) with a secondary chromosomal change, viz, ider(2)(q10)inv(2)(p23q35), carrying two additional copies of the putative ALK-related fusion gene, was found in all three patients, suggesting that, in contrast to the standard t(2;5)/NPM-ALK fusion, multiple copies of the putative 2q35-ALK chimeric gene may be required for efficient tumor development. In summary, we demonstrate that the inv(2)(p23q35), a variant of the t(2;5)(p23;q35), is a recurrent chromosomal abnormality in ALK-positive ALCL, the further characterization of which should provide new insight into the pathogenesis of these lymphomas. © 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document