Dr. Johung on Prognosis of Patients With ALK-Rearranged NSCLC and Brain Metastases

Kimberly L. Johung, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Therapeutic Radiology, Gastrointestinal Cancer Program, Yale Cancer Center, discusses a study that examined the prognosis of patients with ALK-rearranged non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and brain metastases.

Approximately 5% of patients with NSCLC have ALK-rearranged disease, Johung explains. Researchers found that patients with the ALK mutation who develop brain metastases have an extended survival, with a median overall survival of 4 years.

This is in comparison to patients with NSCLC with other mutations aside from ALK and develop brain metastases, where the average prognosis is 6 months, Johung says.

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