Integrated analysis of the clinical consequence and associated gene expression of ALK in ALK -positive human cancers.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a tyrosine kinase receptor that is genetically altered in several cancers, including NSCLC, melanoma, lymphoma, and other tumors. Although is associated with various cancers, the relationship between expression and patient prognosis in different cancers is poorly understood. Here, using multidimensional approaches, we revealed the correlation between expression and the clinical outcomes of patients with LUAD, melanoma, OV, DLBC, AML, and BC. We analyzed transcriptional expression, patient survival rate, genetic alteration, protein network, and gene and microRNA (miRNA) co-expression. Compared to that in normal tissues, higher expression was found in LUAD, melanoma, and OV, which are associated with poor patient survival rates. In contrast, lower transcriptional expression was found to decrease the survival rate of patients with DLBC, AML, and BC. A total of 202 missense mutations, 17 truncating mutations, 7 fusions, and 3 in-frame mutations were identified. Further, 17 genes and 19 miRNAs were found to be exclusively co-expressed and echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 () was identified as the most positively correlated gene (log odds ratio >3). The gene ontology and signaling pathways of the genes co-expressed with in these six cancers were also identified. Our findings offer a basis for as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in cancers, which will potentially contribute to precision oncology and assist clinicians in identifying suitable treatment options.