Over the past decades, targeted therapies, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase (ALK) inhibitors [3, 4] in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors in renal-cell carcinoma [5], V-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors in melanoma [6] have changed the therapeutic landscape for these diseases. The gene discussed is ALK; the disease is melanoma.