Targeting EML4-ALK driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Recently, due to key discoveries relating to the molecular biology of many cancers and the development of effective and specific targeted treatments, the ability to personalize cancer therapy based on individual patient genotypes has become a reality in clinical practice (1). Some examples of this genotype-specific approach to anti-cancer therapeutics are BCR-ABL targeted therapy in chronic myelogenous leukemia, C-KIT inhibition in gastrointestinal stromal tumors, the use of Kristen rat sarcoma (KRAS) to negatively select EGFR inhibitors in colon cancer, HER2-directed therapy in breast cancer, and BRAF inhibitors in melanoma (2-13). Several other therapies are currently under investigation in clinical trials and will likely soon broaden this list further.