The characteristic CT findings of NSCLC with ALK gene rearrangement were a large solid mass, less air bronchogram, a central location, and lymphadenopathy.
In advanced stages, patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC, compared with EGFR-mutant NSCLC, were more likely to have lymphadenopathy (OR, 3.47; P < .001), pericardial metastasis (OR, 2.18; P = .04), pleural metastasis (OR, 2.07; P = .004), and lymphangitic carcinomatosis (OR, 3.41; P = .02), but less likely to have lung metastasis (OR, 0.52; P = .003).
However, due to the positive results for ALK and multiple lymphadenopathy, we diagnosed ALK-positive ALCL forming a solitary skin tumor on the forearm.
Backward elimination analyses revealed that age (OR=0.93; 95% CI 0.89-0.98), GGO (OR=0.14; 95% CI 0.03-0.67), and lymphadenopathy (OR=4.15; 95% CI 1.49-11.60) were significantly associated with ALK rearrangement status.
Five of 6 patients with echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4)-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene fusions presented solid masses with no ground-glass opacity (GGO) and thoracic multifocal lymphadenopathy.