A stage IA lung cancer patient with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and minimal residual disease (MRD) positive

Recurrence is infrequently seen in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly in IA stage. For patients with resectable anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive NSCLC, platinum-based chemotherapy is the advised adjuvant therapy. However, currently there is no definitive adjuvant treatment plan for NSCLC patients in stage IA who are ALK positive, both in clinical studies and retrospective analysis. We report a case who was adenocarcinoma with ALK positive and we continued to follow up with minimal residual disease (MRD) after surgery. In early stage lung cancer especially in patient with ALK positivity, MRD positivity may help patients assess the possibility of recurrence for cancer as early as possible and receive early medication treatment.