Tomorrow’s ROS1-Positive Cancer Treatment Today

Understanding ROS1-Positive Cancer

ROS1 is a gene, which is a basic unit of heredity passed down from a parent to a child. In ROS1-positive cancer, the ROS1 gene fuses with another gene. This fusion causes ROS1 to become overactive, which results in uncontrolled growth of cells that can form cancerous tumors. ROS1 fusions are not inherited, but acquired during a person’s lifetime. Other terms you may see or hear to describe ROS1 fusions include ROS1 fusion positive, ROS1 rearrangements, and ROS1 gene mutations.  

What Types of Cancer are Associated With ROS1 Fusions? 

ROS1 fusions are found in about 1 to 2 percent of lung cancer cases, according to the American Lung Association (ALA). Specifically, this gene fusion commonly occurs in people with a form of the disease called adenocarcinoma non-small cell lung cancer. This type of lung cancer tends to be diagnosed in younger patients who do not have a history of heavy smoking, according to the ALA.  

Several other cancers are linked to ROS1 fusions, including the following: 

• ROS1-positive breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma) 
• ROS1-positive glioblastoma 
• ROS1-positive colorectal cancer 
• ROS1-positive ovarian cancer 

Treatment of ROS1-Positive Cancer: What Are the Options? 

The treatment your doctor will prescribe for ROS1-positive cancer will depend on a variety of factors, including which form of cancer you have, whether it has metastasized (or spread), and what treatment you have already received. Treatments for ROS1-positive cancers include: 

• Surgery: Surgical removal of cancerous tumors.  
• Chemotherapy: A general term for drugs that kill cancer cells and prevent them from spreading. 
• Radiation therapy: The use of high-energy beams to destroy cancer cells. 
• Targeted therapy: Medications that block or inhibit molecules that cause cancer to grow and spread. 
• Immunotherapy: Medications that stimulate the body’s natural defense network, the immune system, to find and destroy cancer cells. 
• Clinical trials: Standard treatments don’t work for all patients with ROS1-positive cancer; in other patients, the benefits of these treatments can diminish over time. In these cases, doctors often recommend enrolling in a clinical trial, which is a type of scientific study in which researchers evaluate a new medical therapy.