%0 Journal Article %T Why technical aspects rather than biology explain cellular heterogeneity in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer %A McLeer-Florin, Anne %A Lantuéjoul, Sylvie %J Journal of Thoracic Disease %D 2012 %B 2012 %9 %! Why technical aspects rather than biology explain cellular heterogeneity in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer %K %X The discovery of anaplastic lymphoma kinase ( ALK ) gene rearrangements in a small subset of lung adenoracimonas in 2007 led to the definition of a new molecular subgroup of non small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) ( 1 ). These ALK -rearranged tumors are most commonly adenocarcinomas, often with signet ring mucinous cells, without mutation of EGFR or KRAS, and preferentially arise in non- or light smokers, but some ALK- rearranged NSCLC cases do not fit this description. A number of fusion variants have been identified; the most common being EML4-ALK fusions which are formed from inversions within the small arm of chromosome 2. The encoded proteins comprise the N-terminal portion of EML4 and the intracellular catalytic domain of ALK. A dimerization or oligomerization of these chimeric proteins leads to a constitutive activation of the ALK kinase domain ( 2 ). Other described fusion partners of ALK in lung tumors comprise KIF5B , TFG and KLC1 ( 3 - 5 ). %U https://jtd.amegroups.org/article/view/400 %V 4 %N 3 %P 240-241 %@ 2077-6624