The ALK Life Study: Dr. Culver Shares Study Insights, Goals at WCLC 2024

Ken Culver, MD, Director of Research and Clinical Affairs at the ALK Positive patient advocacy group, joined Lung Cancers Today at the IASLC 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer to discuss the ALK Life Study.

“The ALK Life Study is a global registrational study to try to learn about the natural history of how patients are being treated throughout the course of their ALK-positive lung cancer,” Dr. Culver explained.

The study, which has enrolled around 2,000 patients with ALK-positive lung cancer, surveys patients to gather data on key time points in their diagnosis and treatment. The survey collects information on when patients’ symptoms started, when they were diagnosed, their biopsy results, when they found out they had ALK-positive lung cancer, when they began an ALK-specific treatment such as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), the effects of their treatment, and other key information.

“In the end, we should be able to have a cohort of hopefully 5,000 people—the largest ALK study there is—to be able now to begin to ask important questions: Why do some people do really well on ALK inhibitors, living for years and years and years? Why do some not do so well, only living for months?” Dr. Culver explained. “Because part of the data we collect is their biopsy results, showing if other genetic factors in their tumor are helping to drive or helping the tumor to escape the effectiveness of the ALK TKIs.”

Dr. Culver explained how the study will help answer major questions and guide future efforts in diagnosing and treating ALK-positive lung cancer.

“In the end, this data is going to help guide researchers on how we better manage side effects, how we more quickly define diagnosis and increase quick access to therapies, and how might we learn something about what other drugs can be used so that patients can stay on their TKI longer,” Dr. Culver concluded.