Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Australia, accounting for 18.7% in 2017; and an estimated incidence of 43 cases per 100,000 persons in 2013, making it the 5th most common cancer. Many genetic abnormalities are essential in driving tumorigenesis. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase ( ALK) gene rearrangement is responsible for 3–7% of all non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC); which are responsive to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Therefore, detection of such genetic abnormalities has become mainstay practice in the diagnostic workup for lung cancers.