The discovery of the EML4-ALK fusion gene in a subset of non-small cell lung carcinoma (3–7 %) has steered the development of a therapeutic drug crizotinib (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits the activity of the ALK fusion proteins, cMET, ROS1, and RON) that is FDA approved for treating lung cancer patients exhibiting ALK gene rearrangements (Zou et al. 2007; Kwak et al. 2010; Sahu et al. 2013). The gene discussed is ALK; the disease is lung carcinoma.