NSCLC AND
BIOMARKER TESTING
ALK+ NSCLC IS A UNIQUE SUBSET OF LUNG CANCER
WITH A DISTINCT PATHOLOGY AND CHARACTERISTICS1–3
Approximately 3–5% of patients with NSCLC are ALK+1
Patients with ALK+ NSCLC often have more advanced disease upon diagnosis compared with those with ALK-negative disease, and as many as 2 out of 3 will eventually develop CNS metastases2,3
THE IMPORTANCE OF BIOMARKER TESTING
IN ALK+ NSCLC
Overall, more than 50% of patients with advanced NSCLC have an actionable oncogenic driver.4
In advanced NSCLC, targeted therapies for these oncogenic drivers have revolutionised the treatment paradigm and led to significant improvements in response and survival rates.5
Biomarker testing is also important in early-stage NSCLC. Following surgery, the risk of recurrence for some patients with early NSCLC remains high;7,8 patients with ALK+ NSCLC face a greater risk of recurrence compared with patients with ALK-negative disease8,9
Approximate 5-year recurrence rate in resected NSCLC with/without chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy10,11,*
40%
For patients (N=1718)
with Stage I NSCLC
75%
For patients (N=1247)
with Stage III NSCLC
A review of a global database of NSCLC (N=25,911 with pathological staging) found that 5-year OS was12,†
80%
For Stage I‡ NSCLC
30%
For Stage III§ NSCLC
NCCN
Guidelines®
The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) recommend testing for PD-L1 expression, EGFR mutations and ALK rearrangements in patients with resected, early-stage NSCLC (Stages IB–IIIA, Stage IIIB [T3,N2])6
Staging classified as per the 8th edition of the UICC/AJCC