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ALK TKI

Brigatinib

Alunbrig · BRIG

ALK TKI · approved 2017 · 8 references

A next-generation ALK inhibitor with usually benign creatinine elevations as its main renal footprint.

Signature injury
Pseudo-AKI
Severity
Mild
Reversibility
Reversible
Onset
Creatinine changes typically emerge within weeks and tend to reverse on discontinuation.

Signature kidney injury & incidence

Pseudo-AKI.

As an ALK inhibitor, brigatinib is associated with creatinine elevations that are generally benign. In a real-world ALK-inhibitor cohort, creatinine-based AKI/CKD events occurred but were mostly mild and reversible across agents including brigatinib; class reviews note elevated creatinine, occasional edema, and rare electrolyte disturbances. A distinct, early-onset pulmonary event (within the first week) is a separate non-renal class concern.

Source: Pinard et al., Clin Lung Cancer 2025

Reported injury signatures: Pseudo-AKI, Prerenal / Hemodynamic AKI, Hypertension.

Renal toxicity profile

  1. Pseudo-AKIPrimary~10%Class-level: ~10% AKI by creatinine (KDIGO) within 90d across ALK-TKIs (incl. brigatinib); mostly reversible reduction in tubular creatinine secretion, recovers off-drug
  2. Prerenal / Hemodynamic AKISecondary
  3. HypertensionRareDrug-specific hypertension in ALK-TKI network meta-analysis, not a class effect.

Onset timing & rechallenge

Subacute (~1–6 weeks) — Creatinine changes typically emerge within weeks and tend to reverse on discontinuation.

Mechanism of kidney injury

Creatinine elevation is thought to reflect, at least in part, reduced tubular creatinine secretion (transporter inhibition) rather than true GFR loss, consistent with the ALK-inhibitor class. Peripheral edema and rare electrolyte disorders may occur; structural nephrotoxicity is uncommon.

Clinical presentation

Asymptomatic creatinine rise with reduced creatinine-based eGFR; occasional edema or mild electrolyte abnormalities; overt AKI is uncommon. Watch for early pulmonary symptoms (non-renal) in the first days of therapy.

Management

Most creatinine elevations are benign and need no specific therapy; reserve dose adjustment for true AKI. Manage edema and electrolytes supportively.

Risk factors

  • Pre-existing chronic kidney disease
  • Hypertension
  • Concurrent nephrotoxins

Prevention

  • Recognize secretion-mediated creatinine rises and consider cystatin C if true GFR is in question
  • Use the recommended step-up dosing to mitigate early pulmonary events

Renal dose adjustment

Reduce the dose for severe renal impairment (eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2) - e.g., decrease the maintenance dose by ~50% per labeling. No adjustment is needed for mild-to-moderate impairment. Hepatic impairment also warrants reduction.

Dialyzability & ESKD dosing

Highly protein-bound (~91%) and hepatically metabolized; not expected to be meaningfully dialyzed. ESKD data are limited - monitor clinically.

Differential diagnosis

As with other ALK inhibitors, distinguish pseudo-AKI (creatinine up, cystatin C-based eGFR preserved) from true AKI; reserve workup and dose change for genuine GFR loss.

Monitoring

  • Serum creatinine periodically (interpret with secretion artifact)
  • Electrolytes and CK/lipase per labeling
  • Pulmonary symptoms early in therapy

Key trials & series

  • Pinard et al. real-world ALK-inhibitor AKI/CKD cohort (includes brigatinib)

Clinical pearls

  • Brigatinib creatinine rises are usually benign secretion artifacts - confirm with cystatin C before acting.
  • Reduce the dose when eGFR <30; mild-to-moderate impairment needs no change.
  • The early pulmonary event in the first week is the more clinically urgent class concern, not the kidney.
  • Hypertension is a brigatinib-specific toxicity in network meta-analysis of ALK-TKI trials - not a class effect shared by alectinib or crizotinib.

Anticancer mechanism

Potent next-generation ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor with activity against many resistance mutations and CNS disease; also inhibits ROS1 and EGFR variants. Used in ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer.

Note

Creatinine elevation is usually benign; renal data are partly extrapolated from ALK-inhibitor class experience.

Guidelines & consensus

Each recommendation below is this atlas's faithful summary of the source, not a quotation from it — follow the PubMed link for the wording the society published. Summaries may be superseded; consult the current full text and individualize to the patient.

  • ADQI (2026) — The nephrotoxic effects of anti-cancer therapies: consensus report of the 34th Acute Disease Quality Initiative workgroupProvides expert-based statements (modified Delphi) on preventing and managing cisplatin/platinum-associated AKI, including isotonic IV hydration, attention to volume status and concomitant nephrotoxins, and incorporates evidence that IV magnesium supplementation may reduce cisplatin-associated AKI; emphasizes risk stratification and standardized AKI definitions.Nat Rev Nephrol · PMID 41361704
  • SIRM (2022) — SIRM-SIN-AIOM: appropriateness criteria for evaluation and prevention of renal damage in the patient undergoing contrast medium examinations-consensus statements from Italian College of Radiology (SIRM), Italian College of Nephrology (SIN) and Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM)Recommends eGFR-based renal risk assessment and pre/post-contrast isotonic saline or sodium bicarbonate hydration; advises maintaining a 5-7 day interval between iodinated contrast administration and cisplatin in cancer patients to reduce additive nephrotoxicity.Radiol Med · PMID 35303246
  • KDIGO (2020) — KDIGO Controversies Conference on onco-nephrology: understanding kidney impairment and solid-organ malignancies, and managing kidney cancerIdentifies platinum compounds (especially cisplatin) as leading cytotoxic causes of acute tubular injury, AKI, and electrolyte/magnesium wasting; calls for interdisciplinary onco-nephrology care, accurate GFR estimation, and individualized drug dosing in patients with reduced kidney function.Kidney Int · PMID 33126977
  • KDIGO (2020) — KDIGO Controversies Conference on onco-nephrology: kidney disease in hematological malignancies and the burden of cancer after kidney transplantationAddresses chemotherapy-associated AKI/CKD in hematologic cancer, GFR estimation and chemotherapy dosing in patients with reduced kidney function, and management priorities and research gaps for onco-nephrology care.Kidney Int · PMID 33276867
  • ADDIKD (2025) — Integrating International Consensus Guidelines for Anticancer Drug Dosing in Kidney Dysfunction (ADDIKD) into everyday practiceProvides GRADE-based, drug-specific dose-adjustment recommendations for anticancer agents in kidney dysfunction (illustrated for methotrexate, cisplatin, carboplatin and nivolumab); the recommendations build on Part 1's standardised CKD-EPI eGFR assessment rather than Cockcroft-Gault creatinine clearance.EClinicalMedicine · PMID 40290844
  • ADDIKD (2025) — Aligning kidney function assessment in patients with cancer to global practices in internal medicineThree consensus recommendations: assess kidney function by GFR (measured GFR or CKD-EPI eGFR), classify it using KDIGO categories, and use this uniform approach to dose anticancer drugs — moving cancer medicine away from Cockcroft-Gault estimated creatinine clearance.EClinicalMedicine · PMID 40290845
  • ADDIKD (2025) — A methodology for determining dosing recommendations for anticancer drugs in patients with reduced kidney functionEstablishes that, where RCT evidence is lacking, anticancer drug dosing recommendations in kidney dysfunction should be derived by critically appraising observational literature via GRADE combined with structured international multidisciplinary consensus voting.EClinicalMedicine · PMID 40290846
  • KDIGO (2013) — Diagnosis, evaluation, and management of acute kidney injury: a KDIGO summary (Part 1)Defines/stages AKI by serum creatinine and urine output; emphasizes avoiding nephrotoxins, maintaining euvolemia/perfusion, dose-adjusting drugs to kidney function, and monitoring high-risk patients — the framework applied to nephrotoxic anti-cancer agents.Crit Care · PMID 23394211
  • KDIGO (2024) — Executive summary of the KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease: known knowns and known unknownsEvaluate and risk-stratify CKD, manage to delay progression and its complications, and practise explicit medication management and drug stewardship — the framework the atlas's G1–G5 eGFR banding and every renal dose-adjustment recommendation sit inside. Because the guideline excludes dialysis and transplant recipients by its own statement of scope, its recommendations do not carry to those settings, where this atlas's dialyzability and post-transplant guidance rests on other sources.Kidney Int · PMID 38519239
  • KDIGO (2021) — Executive summary of the KDIGO 2021 Guideline for the Management of Glomerular DiseasesProvides the staging/treatment framework for drug-associated glomerular lesions (e.g., bisphosphonate- and interferon-related collapsing FSGS, VEGF-inhibitor podocytopathy/proteinuria), including immunosuppression and supportive RAAS-blockade strategies.Kidney Int · PMID 34556300
  • KDIGO (2024) — Executive summary of the KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of ANCA-Associated VasculitisUpdates immunosuppressive induction (rituximab/cyclophosphamide), incorporates avacopan and lower-dose or glucocorticoid-sparing regimens — the management framework for drug- and checkpoint-inhibitor-associated ANCA/pauci-immune glomerulonephritis.Kidney Int · PMID 38388147
  • KDIGO (2024) — Executive summary of the KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Lupus NephritisUpdates first-line lupus nephritis therapy to combination immunosuppression with the addition of belimumab or a calcineurin inhibitor (voclosporin) — informs management of immune-complex/lupus-like glomerulonephritis encountered with immunotherapy.Kidney Int · PMID 38182299
  • KDIGO (2025) — Executive summary of the KDIGO 2025 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy (IgAN) and Immunoglobulin A Vasculitis (IgAV)Encourages liberal kidney biopsy and stricter proteinuria control (<0.5 g/d, ideally <0.3 g/d) with RAAS blockers, SGLT2 inhibitors, and targeted-release budesonide — the framework for IgA-dominant glomerular lesions, including those triggered by immune-modulating cancer therapy.Kidney Int · PMID 40975525

References

8 peer-reviewed references. Citation metadata via PubMed / NLM.

  1. 1.Real-World Creatinine-Based Estimates of Acute and Chronic Kidney Dysfunction in Patients with Advanced ALK-Rearranged Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Receiving Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors.Pinard L et al. · Clin Lung Cancer · 2025 · PMID 40382267
  2. 2.Anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors and their effect on the kidney.Bonilla M et al. · Clin Kidney J · 2022 · PMID 35892021
  3. 3.The renal effects of ALK inhibitors.Izzedine H et al. · Invest New Drugs · 2016 · PMID 27468827
  4. 4.New drug toxicities in the onco-nephrology world.Perazella MA et al. · Kidney Int · 2015 · PMID 25671763
  5. 5.Pharmacological nephrotoxicity profile in a comprehensive cancer center: What changed in two decades and predictors for the need for haemodialysis and mortality.Ferreira A et al. · Nefrologia (Engl Ed) · 2025 · PMID 40783302
  6. 6.Onconephrology: mitigation of renal injury in chemotherapy administration.Selamet U et al. · Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens · 2024 · PMID 38095483
  7. 7.Comparative safety of anaplastic lymphoma kinase tyrosine kinase inhibitors in advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase-mutated non-small cell lung cancer: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.Luo Y et al. · Lung Cancer · 2023 · PMID 37597303
  8. 8.The likelihood of being helped or harmed as a patient-centred tool to assess ALK-Inhibitors clinical impact and safety in ALK-addicted non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and sensitivity-analysis.Mastrantoni L et al. · Cancer Treat Res Commun · 2024 · PMID 39260066

Case reports & series (1)

The weakest rung of clinical evidence — single-patient and small-series reports, strongest first. Each carries a heuristic strength grade (A Strong / B Moderate / C Limited) inferred from its abstract and journal, not a formal appraisal. Weigh well below the primary references above.

  1. C1.[C · Limited]Fatal Tumour Lysis Syndrome Induced by Brigatinib in a Lung Adenocarcinoma Patient Treated With Sequential ALK Inhibitors: A Case Report.Wang Y et al. · Front Pharmacol · 2021 · PMID 34987411
Educational monograph from NephTox (nephtox.com). Not medical advice — verify against current guidelines before any clinical decision.