Successful Treatment with Alectinib for Choroidal Metastasis in Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Rearranged Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Intern Med. 2017 Sep 1;56(17):2317-2320. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.8488-16. Epub 2017 Aug 10.

Abstract

Choroidal metastasis is rare in cancer patients and it may cause visual disturbances that reduce their quality of life. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), targeted therapy against actionable driver mutations has gradually replaced radiotherapy as the treatment of choice for choroidal metastasis. Recently, there have been several case reports of choroidal metastasis in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged NSCLC. We herein report the case of a 40-year-old Japanese woman diagnosed with choroidal metastasis of an ALK-rearranged NSCLC who received alectinib as the first-line chemotherapy. Alectinib may be the best treatment for choroidal metastasis in patients harboring an ALK translocation because of its favorable side effect profile involving visual disturbances.

Keywords: alectinib; anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK); choroidal metastasis; non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Asian People
  • Carbazoles / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / complications
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology
  • Choroid Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Choroid Neoplasms / etiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / complications
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Neoplasm Metastasis / drug therapy
  • Piperidines / therapeutic use*
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Carbazoles
  • Piperidines
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • ALK protein, human
  • Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • alectinib