anaplastic lymphoma kinase

Definition of anaplastic lymphoma kinase
National Cancer Institute

anaplastic lymphoma kinase

(A-nuh-PLAS-tik lim-FOH-muh KY-nays)
A protein that helps control cell growth. It is made by the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene, which may be changed in some types of cancer, such as anaplastic large cell lymphoma, neuroblastoma, and non-small cell lung cancer. These changes in the ALK gene can cause the cancer cells to grow and spread. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase is a type of receptor tyrosine kinase.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms