Dr. Chow on the Use of Ceritinib in ALK+ NSCLC Metastatic to the Brain

Laura Quan Man Chow, MD, FRCPC, director of the Thoracic, Head and Neck Cancer and Clinical Immunotherapy Programs, associate cancer center director for Clinical Research, The University of Texas at Austin, discusses the use of ceritinib (Zykadia) in patients with ALK-positive non—small cell lung cancer that has metastasized to the brain.

As the prognosis of patients with ALK-positive NSCLC improves, so does the likelihood of developing leptomeningeal disease, says Chow. According to the results of the phase II ASCEND-7 trial, the use of ceritinib was effective in controlling leptomeningeal metastasis in patients with ALK-positive NSCLC.

The trial sets the standard for measuring the activity of targeted agents in this setting, she adds. Moreover, the study shows proof-of-concept that targeted therapy may be more effective than radiation for patients with these driver mutations.

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