EML4-ALK gene fusions have recently been discovered in a subset of human lung carcinomas, and fusions of the ALK tyrosine kinase gene with the NPM, TPM3, CLTC, ATIC, and TFG genes have been found in hematological malignancies.
Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and nucleotide sequence analysis revealed fusion of ALK to tropomyosin 4, an ALK fusion partner not described previously in hematologic malignancies.