Tianhong (Tina) Li, MD, PhD, assistant professor, co-director of Phase I Program, UC Davis Cancer Center, discusses the EML4-ALK fusion gene, which is created by translocation of the EML4 and ALK genes. The rearrangement of these two genes is spurred by an overexpression of tyrosine kinase in the ALK gene.

There are many driver genes with fusion partners, in lung cancer the EML4-ALK fusion is the most common. There are over 20 different variants of the ALK driver gene, but, the EML4-ALK fusion is the most common by far.