What is ALK+ Lung Cancer?
ALK+ (Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase positive) Lung Cancer is a type of lung cancer that impacts approximately 40,000 people worldwide each year. The cause of ALK+ lung cancer is still unknown, but it is not related to smoking. While this type of lung cancer can affect people of all ages and ethnicities, it’s particularly common in young healthy adults and it’s often diagnosed at an advanced stage (when it has already spread beyond the lung).
At the molecular level, ALK+ lung cancers all harbor changes in the DNA that lead to abnormal activation of the ALK protein. Drugs have been developed to turn off the abnormal ALK protein. These drugs can be beneficial at first; however, almost all patients stop responding to these drugs, so new treatments are urgently needed.
Why awareness matters
Like many rare cancers, ALK+ doesn’t receive the attention or funding it urgently needs. That lack of awareness cost my mum her life. She believed we’d find a cure—she never stopped believing. I carry that belief forward with every step I take.
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Greater visibility = more research
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More research = better treatments
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Better treatments = more time with the people we love
Learn more, support research
To understand more about ALK+ Lung Cancer and how you can help support the fight for better treatment and a cure, visit: 🔗 alkpositive.org