Although the frequency of EML4-ALK rearrangements is lower in lung SqCC than that in lung adenocarcinomas, their presence may provide additional treatment options in lung SqCC.
ALK translocations were found in 4/151 (2.6%; 3 of them involving EML4) of BM of adenocarcinomas (AC), 1/9 (11.1%) of adenosquamous carcinomas (ASC), 0/5 of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 0/10 of large cell carcinomas (LCC).
The two essential requirements for pathologic specimens in the era of personalized therapies for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) are accurate subtyping as adenocarcinoma (ADC) versus squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) and suitability for EGFR molecular testing, as well as for testing of other oncogenes such as EML4-ALK and KRAS.