ALK inhibitor
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor
- Suppresses growth of ALK-fusion–driven lung cancer
- Kinase-domain resistance mutations → acquired resistance
Drugs with this mechanism (4)
- Alectinib — ALK inhibitor with strong CNS activity; preferred first-line therapy for ALK-positive lung cancer.
- Ceritinib — ALK inhibitor for ALK-positive lung cancer.
- Crizotinib — First ALK inhibitor; replaced by later agents because of poor CNS penetration.
- Lorlatinib — Third-generation ALK inhibitor built for CNS penetration; causes distinctive CNS effects.
Self-check
- Which lung cancers are the target of ALK inhibition here?
ALK-fusion–driven cancers. - What molecular change can cause acquired resistance to ALK inhibitors?
Kinase-domain resistance mutations.
All mechanisms · Open ALK inhibitor in the interactive console ↗