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Two Cases of ALK-Altered Cancers of Unknown Primary Diagnosed by Immunohistochemistry
- Source :
- Case Reports in Oncology, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 21-26 (2022)
- Publication Year :
- 2022
- Publisher :
- Karger Publishers, 2022.
-
Abstract
- Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) accounts for 5% of all malignancies. Patients with CUP may live averagely for 8 months after diagnosis, and thus, rapid and reasonable diagnosis is necessary. Among patients with CUP, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-overexpressing CUPs, whose primary sites were confirmed to be the lungs (Lung-CUP) by using antibodies against cytokeratin 7, thyroid transcription factor-1, and Napsin A, along with clinical characteristics progressed rapidly and were very sensitive to the ALK inhibitor alectinib. The incidence of ALK alteration in Lung-CUP is 19%. Consequently, it is advised that Lung-CUP be examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) with an anti-ALK antibody. Alternative examinations, such as a cancer genome test, require as much as 2 months to complete, whereas IHC can be completed within days. In this report, a rapid assessment by IHC led to alectinib treatment, which resulted in good outcomes in 2 cases of Lung-CUP. Alectinib was effective for ALK-altered Lung-CUPs.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 16626575
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Case Reports in Oncology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.9528bc58020b4e11a6003518e0e0adf4
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1159/000521157