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Background:

Recently, the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has been found to be altered in several solid and haematological tumours. ALK gene copy number changes and mutations in colorectal cancers (CRCs) are not well characterised. We aimed to study the prevalence of ALK copy number changes, translocations, gene mutations and protein expression in 770 CRC patients, and correlate these findings with molecular and clinico-pathological data.

Methods:

ALK gene copy number variations and ALK expression were evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) and immunohistochemistry, respectively.

Results:

Translocations of the ALK gene were not observed; 3.4%(26 out of 756) of the CRC patients tested had an increase in ALK gene copy number either amplification or gain. Interestingly, increased ALK gene copy number alteration was associated with poor prognosis (P= 0.0135) and was an …