Crizotinib as salvage and maintenance with allogeneic stem cell transplantation for refractory anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

The NPM-ALK fusion protein is found in ALK(+) anaplastic large cell lymphomas harboring the t(2;5) chromosomal translocation. Patients harboring ALK translocations typically have an excellent prognosis with conventional chemotherapy and a reported 5-year survival rate of 70%. Although most patients with ALK(+) anaplastic large cell lymphoma have a good prognosis, some patients do not respond to standard therapies. In patients with refractory anaplastic large cell lymphoma who can achieve remission, allogeneic stem cell transplant is a potentially curative option. This article describes a patient with refractory ALK(+) anaplastic large cell lymphoma who experienced a complete response to the ALK inhibitor crizotinib and then underwent an allogeneic stem cell transplant followed by crizotinib maintenance therapy.