Background: Lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer-related illness and death worldwide. GLOBOCAN 2022 reports 2,480,675 lung cancer cases (12.4% of all cancers), with the highest mortality rate (1,817,469 deaths). ALK rearrangement plays a significant role in tumor progression, survival, and metastasis, but the prevalence of ALK-positive tumors varies across populations. Data on ALK rearrangement in multi-ethnic populations like Indonesia remains limited. Objective: To describe the prevalence and distribution of ALK rearrangement in Indonesian NSCLC patients by gender, age, and histological subtype. Methods: This descriptive study uses a cross-sectional design with a retrospective approach based on the results of immunohistochemistry of ALK (D5F3) expression in NSCLC patients. This study included all patients diagnosed with NSCLC who were examined for ALK (D5F3) expression. The exclusion criteria of this study were patients with incomplete data, patients diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma, and lung metastasis. Results: The prevalence of ALK-positive NSCLC patients at MRCCC Siloam Hospitals Semanggi from 2020 to 2024 was 24 cases (7.8%) out of a total sample of 306. Most cases were male patients, accounting for 14 cases (58.3%). ALK-positive cases were predominantly found in patients aged 60 years and under, accounting for 14 cases (58.3%). Lung adenocarcinoma is the NSCLC subtype that has the highest number of ALK-positive cases, with 21 cases (87.5%). Conclusion: This study reveals a higher prevalence of ALK-positive NSCLC in the Indonesian population. This result provides a treatment option for NSCLC patients who have negative expressions of EGFR and PD-L1, offering them new hope for targeted therapy.
Suryajaya et al. (Mon,) studied this question.