The latest research findings from the Lung Cancer Institute of Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital were published online in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM, IF = 158.5) on the early morning of April 11, 2024. The study, named the ALINA study, is a large-scale global multicenter, randomized, open-label clinical trial that revealed the effectiveness of adjuvant alectinib, compared to adjuvant chemotherapy in improving disease-free survival in patients with stage IB-IIIA lung cancer. This groundbreaking research provides robust high-quality data for postoperative adjuvant therapy in early-stage ALK-positive lung cancer, establishing a new benchmark. This marks the fifth time that Prof. Wu’s team’s research has been featured in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In the population of lung cancer patients, there is a rare subset with ALK gene fusion (3-5%), characterized by a younger age at onset, light or non-smoking history, predominantly adenocarcinoma pathology, high malignancy, large tumor size at diagnosis, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis. Previous adjuvant chemotherapy for these patients has only resulted in a 5% increase in survival with significant adverse reactions. The ALINA study was designed to address this issue. Led jointly by Prof. Wu from the Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute and Prof. Ben Solomon from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Australia, the global collaboration was initiated in August 2018 involving 113 medical centers across 26 countries/regions worldwide. It aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjuvant alectinib compared to adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with completely resected stage IB (≥4cm) - IIIA (UICC/AJCC 7th edition staging) NSCLC confirmed to be ALK fusion-positive. Results showed that compared to chemotherapy, alectinib can reduce the risk of recurrence, metastasis, or death by 76% and the risk of brain metastasis or death by 78%.

Prof. Wu Yilong emphasized that this study represents another significant achievement for the Lung Cancer Institute in the field of adjuvant targeted therapy for operable lung cancer. Their team made significant contributions throughout the entire process, from study design to publication, and is the first and corresponding unit of this research, demonstrating the leading academic position in this field.

The ALINA study has transformed ALK-positive patients from a group with high malignancy and poor prognosis to one with excellent prognosis, achieving a remarkable reversal of outcomes and potentially moving towards “cure.” Following this success, the Lung Cancer team at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital is also conducting research on other genetic targets, believing that as research progresses, more results will be announced. This will lead to low-toxicity and highly effective treatment modalities for lung cancer patients, providing tangible survival benefits.

Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute

Updated: April 12, 2024