What is Zykadia used for?
Zykadia (ceritinib) is a medication used to treat adults with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has spread (metastasized) and whose tumors test positive for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK).
Mutations in the ALK gene, which provides the code for making a protein called ALK receptor tyrosine kinase, are found in approximately 5 percent of all lung cancers, including 30 percent of all lung cancers diagnosed in patients aged less than 40 years old.
Mutations in the ALK gene were originally found in people with lymphoma, but many of the ALK-positive cancers diagnosed are now found in patients with NSCLC.
The ALK gene plays a role in the development of the nervous system and gut. It is turned off before birth, but in some people the gene is later turned back on and fuses with other genes, such as EML4, which results in an ALK rearrangement or fusion that can cause ALK-positive cancers.
Zykadia is a kinase inhibitor.
References
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Zykadia. [Accessed October 1, 2021]. Available from: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2021/211225s003lbl.pdf.
- MedlinePlus. ALK gene. ALK receptor tyrosine kinase. [Accessed October 1, 2021]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/alk/.
- ALK Positive. What is ALK-Positive Lung Cancer? [Accessed October 1, 2021]. Available from: https://www.alkpositive.org/what-is-alk.
- Zhang X, Zhang S, Yang X, et al. Fusion of EML4 and ALK is associated with development of lung adenocarcinomas lacking EGFR and KRAS mutations and is correlated with ALK expression. Mol Cancer. 2010;9:188. Published 2010 Jul 13. doi:10.1186/1476-4598-9-188.
- American Lung Association (ALA). ALK and Lung Cancer. August 20, 2021. [Accessed October 1, 2021]. Available from: https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/symptoms-diagnosis/biomarker-testing/alk-lung-cancer.
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Drug information
- Zykadia Information for Consumers
- Zykadia prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side Effects of Zykadia (detailed)
Related support groups
- Zykadia (2 questions, 3 members)
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (52 questions, 70 members)
