start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=114 cd-vols= no-issue=11 article-no= start-page=4343 end-page=4354 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2023 dt-pub=20230915 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Efficacy of gilteritinib in comparison with alectinib for the treatment of ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Gilteritinib is a multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), approved for the treatment of FLT3-mutant acute myeloid leukemia, with a broad range of activity against several tyrosine kinases including anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). This study investigated the efficacy of gilteritinib against ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). To this end, we assessed the effects of gilteritinib on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and acquired resistance responses in several ALK-rearranged NSCLC cell lines and mouse xenograft tumor models and compared its efficacy to alectinib, a standard ALK inhibitor. Gilteritinib was significantly more potent than alectinib, as it inhibited cell proliferation at a lower dose, with complete attenuation of growth observed in several ALK-rearranged NSCLC cell lines and no development of drug tolerance. Immunoblotting showed that gilteritinib strongly suppressed phosphorylated ALK and its downstream effectors, as well as mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET) signaling. By comparison, MET signaling was enhanced in alectinib-treated cells. Furthermore, gilteritinib was found to more effectively abolish growth of ALK-rearranged NSCLC xenograft tumors, many of which completely receded. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) mRNA levels were elevated in gilteritinib-treated cells, together with a concomitant increase in the infiltration of tumors by natural killer (NK) cells, as assessed by immunohistochemistry. This suggests that IL-15 production along with NK cell infiltration may constitute components of the gilteritinib-mediated antitumor responses in ALK-rearranged NSCLCs. In conclusion, gilteritinib demonstrated significantly improved antitumor efficacy compared with alectinib against ALK-rearranged NSCLC cells, which can warrant its candidacy for use in anticancer regimens, after further examination in clinical trial settings. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=AndoChihiro en-aut-sei=Ando en-aut-mei=Chihiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=IchiharaEiki en-aut-sei=Ichihara en-aut-mei=Eiki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=NishiTatsuya en-aut-sei=Nishi en-aut-mei=Tatsuya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=MoritaAyako en-aut-sei=Morita en-aut-mei=Ayako kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=HaraNaofumi en-aut-sei=Hara en-aut-mei=Naofumi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=TakadaKenji en-aut-sei=Takada en-aut-mei=Kenji kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakasukaTakamasa en-aut-sei=Nakasuka en-aut-mei=Takamasa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=WatanabeHiromi en-aut-sei=Watanabe en-aut-mei=Hiromi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=KanoHirohisa en-aut-sei=Kano en-aut-mei=Hirohisa kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=NishiiKazuya en-aut-sei=Nishii en-aut-mei=Kazuya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=MakimotoGo en-aut-sei=Makimoto en-aut-mei=Go kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=KondoTakumi en-aut-sei=Kondo en-aut-mei=Takumi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=NinomiyaKiichiro en-aut-sei=Ninomiya en-aut-mei=Kiichiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= en-aut-name=FujiiMasanori en-aut-sei=Fujii en-aut-mei=Masanori kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=14 ORCID= en-aut-name=KuboToshio en-aut-sei=Kubo en-aut-mei=Toshio kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=15 ORCID= en-aut-name=OhashiKadoaki en-aut-sei=Ohashi en-aut-mei=Kadoaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=16 ORCID= en-aut-name=MatsuokaKen-Ichi en-aut-sei=Matsuoka en-aut-mei=Ken-Ichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=17 ORCID= en-aut-name=HottaKatsuyuki en-aut-sei=Hotta en-aut-mei=Katsuyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=18 ORCID= en-aut-name=TabataMasahiro en-aut-sei=Tabata en-aut-mei=Masahiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=19 ORCID= en-aut-name=MaedaYoshinobu en-aut-sei=Maeda en-aut-mei=Yoshinobu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=20 ORCID= en-aut-name=KiuraKatsuyuki en-aut-sei=Kiura en-aut-mei=Katsuyuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=21 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=Center for Clinical Oncology, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=Department of Hematology and Oncology, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=14 en-affil=Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=15 en-affil=Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=16 en-affil=Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=17 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences kn-affil= affil-num=18 en-affil=Center for Innovative Clinical Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=19 en-affil=Center for Clinical Oncology, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= affil-num=20 en-affil=Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine kn-affil= affil-num=21 en-affil=Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital kn-affil= en-keyword=alectinib kn-keyword=alectinib en-keyword=ALK kn-keyword=ALK en-keyword=gilteritinib kn-keyword=gilteritinib en-keyword=non-small cell lung cancer kn-keyword=non-small cell lung cancer en-keyword=TKI kn-keyword=TKI END