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ALK TKI

Lorlatinib

Lorbrena · LORL

ALK TKI · approved 2018 · 6 references

A third-generation ALK/ROS1 inhibitor whose renal relevance is tied to edema and prominent metabolic effects.

Signature injury
Pseudo-AKI
Severity
Mild
Reversibility
Reversible
Onset
Metabolic effects and edema appear within weeks of starting therapy.

Signature kidney injury & incidence

Pseudo-AKI.

Lorlatinib is characterized by prominent metabolic effects - hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia occur in the majority of patients (the leading grade 3/4 toxicity in the CROWN trial) - plus peripheral edema. Direct renal toxicity is limited and, like other ALK inhibitors, creatinine elevations are generally mild and reversible. Renal effects are not well quantified specifically for lorlatinib.

Source: Shaw et al., N Engl J Med 2020 (CROWN); Bonilla et al., Clin Kidney J 2022

Reported injury signatures: Pseudo-AKI, Prerenal / Hemodynamic AKI, Glomerular Injury / Proteinuria.

Renal toxicity profile

  1. Pseudo-AKIPrimary~10%Class-level: ~10% AKI by creatinine (KDIGO) within 90d across ALK-TKIs (incl. lorlatinib); largely reversible tubular-secretion effect on serum creatinine
  2. Prerenal / Hemodynamic AKISecondary
  3. Glomerular Injury / ProteinuriaRareCase-level dose-dependent proteinuria and biopsy-proven minimal change disease - distinct from the MATE-1 creatinine artifact.

Onset timing & rechallenge

Subacute (~1–6 weeks) — Metabolic effects and edema appear within weeks of starting therapy.

Mechanism of kidney injury

Kidney involvement is largely indirect: prominent edema and severe dyslipidemia reflect off-target metabolic effects, and any creatinine change is consistent with the ALK-inhibitor pattern of reduced tubular creatinine secretion rather than structural injury. Edema can reflect fluid shifts relevant to perfusion; marked hypertriglyceridemia rarely contributes to pancreatitis.

Clinical presentation

Peripheral edema, hypercholesterolemia/hypertriglyceridemia, weight change, and CNS/cognitive effects; mild creatinine elevations; overt AKI is uncommon.

Management

Manage dyslipidemia with lipid-lowering therapy (statins, and fibrates/omega-3 for severe hypertriglyceridemia) and edema with supportive measures and dose adjustment as needed. Renal function is generally preserved; reserve renal-directed dose changes for true AKI.

Risk factors

  • Pre-existing dyslipidemia or metabolic syndrome
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Concurrent nephrotoxins

Prevention

  • Baseline and on-treatment lipid monitoring; start statin/fibrate per thresholds

Renal dose adjustment

No starting-dose change for mild-to-moderate renal impairment. For severe renal impairment (eGFR <30 mL/min not on dialysis), reduce the dose (e.g., from 100 mg to 75 mg once daily) per labeling. Avoid strong CYP3A inducers/inhibitors.

Dialyzability & ESKD dosing

Hepatically metabolized and protein-bound; not expected to be meaningfully dialyzed, and ESKD data are limited - monitor clinically.

Differential diagnosis

Separate benign secretion-mediated creatinine rise (cystatin C-based eGFR preserved) from true AKI; attribute edema and metabolic derangement to drug effect rather than renal failure.

Monitoring

  • Fasting lipid panel at baseline, then periodically (triglycerides, cholesterol)
  • Weight and edema assessment
  • Mood/cognition (CNS effects)
  • Serum creatinine, interpreting benign, secretion-mediated rises

Key trials & series

  • CROWN (phase 3 lorlatinib vs crizotinib, first-line; dyslipidemia the leading grade 3/4 AE)
  • Pinard et al. real-world ALK-inhibitor AKI/CKD cohort (includes lorlatinib)

Clinical pearls

  • Lorlatinib’s signature toxicities are metabolic (severe dyslipidemia) and edema - lipid management is central, the kidney usually spared.
  • Reduce the dose when eGFR <30; otherwise no renal adjustment.
  • An isolated creatinine bump is likely a transporter artifact, as with the ALK class.
  • Beyond the MATE-1 creatinine artifact, lorlatinib has genuine glomerular reports: dose-dependent proteinuria and biopsy-proven minimal change disease, proposed as a driver of its dyslipidemia.

Anticancer mechanism

Third-generation, highly CNS-penetrant macrocyclic ALK/ROS1 inhibitor active against most resistance mutations including the compound G1202R/L1196M. Used in ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer, first-line and after prior ALK inhibitors.

Note

Edema and metabolic effects dominate; lorlatinib-specific renal data are limited and extrapolated from the ALK-inhibitor class.

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

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

  1. 1.First-Line Lorlatinib or Crizotinib in Advanced ALK-Positive Lung Cancer.Shaw AT et al. · N Engl J Med · 2020 · PMID 33207094
  2. 2.Anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors and their effect on the kidney.Bonilla M et al. · Clin Kidney J · 2022 · PMID 35892021
  3. 3.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
  4. 4.The renal effects of ALK inhibitors.Izzedine H et al. · Invest New Drugs · 2016 · PMID 27468827
  5. 5.New drug toxicities in the onco-nephrology world.Perazella MA et al. · Kidney Int · 2015 · PMID 25671763
  6. 6.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

Case reports & series (2)

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.[B · Moderate]A possible mechanism of hyperlipidemia in a patient with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer on lorlatinib therapy.McGee K et al. · J Oncol Pharm Pract · 2021 · PMID 33789526
  2. C2.[C · Limited]Lorlatinib induced proteinuria: A case report.Lee CS et al. · J Oncol Pharm Pract · 2021 · PMID 32996364
Educational monograph from NephTox (nephtox.com). Not medical advice — verify against current guidelines before any clinical decision.