ALK and non-small cell lung carcinoma: Besides the improved profile of alectinib for the treatment of brain metastasis, the results from a recently published randomized phase III trial comparing alectinib (600 mg twice daily) to crizotinib (250 mg twice daily) in 303 patients with previously untreated, advanced ALK-positive NSCLC (NCT02075840: ALEX) found alectinib to be superior to crizotinib, with a 12-month event-free survival rate of 68.4% for alectinib, as compared to 48% for crizotinib.