Successful ceritinib treatment in a man with MPE and an ALK fusion gene mutation after multiple treatments

INTRODUCTION: Ceritinib is a second-generation anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor. It inhibits two of the most common ALK-mutants that confer resistance to crizotinib. Ceritinib was approved by Food and Drug Administration in April 2014. However, the efficacy of ceritinib in Asian patients have not been widely studied. Decrease of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) has been rarely reported after treatment with ceritinib. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 50-year old man diagnosed with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma presented with MPE and an ALK fusion gene mutation. The patient showed partial response to ceritinib after 2-month treatment. Ultrasound showed MPE significantly decreased. DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION: Ceritinib is a good choice, as a targeted therapy, which is more prospect in the advanced cancer patients than the traditional therapy. CONCLUSION: Ceritinib seems to have a good efficacy in reducing MPE in advanced Asian lung adenocarcinoma patients, when other chemotherapy failed.