ALK in Cancer: Lessons from the Future

Dear Colleagues,

Within the exciting and rapidly evolving field of thoracic oncology, the ALK+ disease has a model role for several important and interrelated reasons: it has the most favourable biology, with a tumor mutational burden uniquely below 3 mut/MB on average; the largest number and highest efficacy of targeted drugs; the most complex management; and the longest survival, currently exceeding a median of 5 years. Consequently, ALK+ NSCLC has also become a premium testing ground for novel concepts and cutting-edge tools destined to shape the future of cancer medicine: baseline molecular risk stratification, disease monitoring using serial liquid biopsies, availability of targeted next-line therapies for all patients, genetic profiling and tailored treatment of acquired resistance in the majority of cases. The purpose of this Special Issue is to recapitulate recent achievements, outline current challenges, and highlight prospects for the future. Its scope includes all aspects with instrumental importance for a better understanding and management of the ALK+ malignancies. While its focus is on ALK+ lung cancer, preclinical studies on ALK+ biology and insights from other ALK+ diseases are very welcome to broaden our horizons and carry the field further. The ongoing advancement of third-generation ALK inhibitors in the first line, the commencing of clinical trials for fourth-generation inhibitors, accumulating evidence about the clinical importance of fusion variants and comutations, and the ongoing development of next-generation immunotherapeutics to overcome the inherently immunosuppresive ALK+ tumor microenvironment are only a few examples of topics where contributions to this Special Issue can meet and enrich current literature on this less common but most impressive lung cancer subtype.

Dr. Petros Christopoulos
Prof. Dr. Richard Bayliss
Guest Editors

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