Abstract:Objective To investigate the clinical effect of Crizotinib on central nervous system (CNS) in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and provide scientific evidence for clinical researches. Methods The clinical data of 59 patients with ALK-positive NSCLC treated in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The status of ALK gene recombination was evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Results The objective remission rate of Crizotinib was 66% and the median progressionfree survival (PFS) was 9.7 months. Of the 59 patients, CNS was a common initial progression site in 24 patients, including 18 patients with isolated CNS progression. The PFS was significantly different between the ALK-positive patients with brain metastasis (BM) and those without BM (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that poorer physical status (PS) ( ≥ 2) or untreated BM was associated with PFS duration (P < 0.05). In the 26th month after Crizotinib treatment, there was a significant difference in the incidence of CNS progression between the patients with BM and those without BM (P < 0.05). Conclusions Among the ALK-positive patients treated with Crizotinib, the common site of progress is the central nervous system, and this progression is associated with low permeability.