The anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene is a member of the insulin receptor superfamily and it has been associated with more than twenty distinct chimera, including established drivers of several human cancers. Multiple clinical trials have proven that the pharmacological inhibition of ALK signaling leads to remarkable clinical improvement and improves the quality of life of ALK+ cancer patients. Crizotinib was the first ALKi to achieve approval from the Food and Drug Administration, although additional compounds are now moving into diversified clinical trials.
