ALK Rearrangement-Positive Pancreatic Cancer with Brain Metastasis Has Remarkable Response to ALK Inhibitors: A Case Report

Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer typically have poor prognosis due to the limited effectiveness of existing treatment options. ALK rearrangement-positive is rare in pancreatic cancer, but may occur in those with KRAS-wild type. We present a 34-year-old young man with ALK rearrangement-positive and KRAS-wild pancreatic cancer who had a remarkable response to crizotinib after resistance to prior chemotherapy and re-response to alectinib after brain metastases developed. This clinical observation suggests that comprehensive molecular profiling to guide targeted therapies is not only feasible, but also significantly improves survival outcomes for a subgroup of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Automated summary

This study reported a 34-year-old patient with ALK rearrangement-positive and KRAS-wild pancreatic cancer, who showed significant responses to targeted therapies after developing resistance to chemotherapy, indicating that comprehensive molecular profiling for guiding targeted therapies can significantly improve survival outcomes for a subgroup of patients with pancreatic cancer.