Lorlatinib helped one man whose lung cancer had spread to his brain
Original title: First-Line Lorlatinib in Striatin-Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-Positive Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This is a report on one patient, not a study in many people.
The short version
Doctors share one man's story. His cancer stayed under control for over 1 year.
What was studied. This is a report about one 45 year old man. He had lung cancer with a rare gene change called STRN-ALK. The cancer had spread to his brain. He had not had any cancer treatment before this.
What they found. He first had focused radiation aimed at the spots in his brain. Then he started a drug called lorlatinib at 100 mg once a day. Side effects that affected his mood and thinking led his doctors to lower the dose to 75 mg, and then to 50 mg. His cancer shrank and stayed under control for over 1 year, in his body and in his brain. The lower dose was easier for him to handle and still worked.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: For some people with this rare gene change, lorlatinib may control cancer that has reached the brain. It also suggests a lower dose can still work if side effects are hard to live with. If you are on this drug and feel bad, tell your care team. Do not change your own dose.
What it doesn't mean: This is one person's story, not a trial in many people. What happened for him may not happen for you. One case cannot show that this drug works better than other choices. It is not a promise, and it is not a cure. Note too that this was lung cancer that spread to the brain. That is not the same as a tumor that starts in the brain.
Source: PubMed, September 3, 2026 · Read the original
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