Perioperative Chemo/Immunotherapies in Lung Cancer: A Critical Review on the Value of Perioperative Sequences

Resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continues to pose significant challenges with high recurrence and mortality rates, despite traditional platinum-based chemotherapy yielding only an approximate 5% improvement in 5-year overall survival when administered preoperatively or postoperatively....

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Main Authors: Thoma’ Dario Clementi, Francesca Colonese, Stefania Canova, Maria Ida Abbate, Luca Sala, Francesco Petrella, Gabriele Giuseppe Pagliari, Diego Luigi Cortinovis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Current Oncology
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/32/7/397
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author Thoma’ Dario Clementi
Francesca Colonese
Stefania Canova
Maria Ida Abbate
Luca Sala
Francesco Petrella
Gabriele Giuseppe Pagliari
Diego Luigi Cortinovis
author_facet Thoma’ Dario Clementi
Francesca Colonese
Stefania Canova
Maria Ida Abbate
Luca Sala
Francesco Petrella
Gabriele Giuseppe Pagliari
Diego Luigi Cortinovis
author_sort Thoma’ Dario Clementi
collection DOAJ
description Resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continues to pose significant challenges with high recurrence and mortality rates, despite traditional platinum-based chemotherapy yielding only an approximate 5% improvement in 5-year overall survival when administered preoperatively or postoperatively. In recent years, the integration of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as nivolumab, durvalumab and pembrolizumab, with platinum-based regimens in the perioperative setting has emerged as a transformative strategy. Our comprehensive review, based on a systematic bibliographic search of PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov, targeting pivotal clinical trials from the past two decades, examines the impact of these neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemoimmunotherapy approaches on major pathological response rates and overall survival in early-stage NSCLC. Although these perioperative strategies represent a paradigm shift in treatment, promising durable responses are offset by persistent recurrence, emphasizing the necessity for optimized treatment sequencing, duration, and the identification of predictive biomarkers. Collectively, our findings underscore the critical role of the perioperative schema, particularly the neoadjuvant component, which enables the evaluation of novel biomarkers as surrogates for overall survival, in improving patient outcomes and delineating future research directions aimed at reducing mortality and enhancing the quality of life for patients with resectable NSCLC.
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spelling doaj-art-370a511d35e94bc99ea5c4ce9751bcd02025-08-20T02:45:34ZengMDPI AGCurrent Oncology1198-00521718-77292025-07-0132739710.3390/curroncol32070397Perioperative Chemo/Immunotherapies in Lung Cancer: A Critical Review on the Value of Perioperative SequencesThoma’ Dario Clementi0Francesca Colonese1Stefania Canova2Maria Ida Abbate3Luca Sala4Francesco Petrella5Gabriele Giuseppe Pagliari6Diego Luigi Cortinovis7Medical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, 20900 Monza, ItalyMedical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, 20900 Monza, ItalyMedical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, 20900 Monza, ItalyMedical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, 20900 Monza, ItalyMedical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, 20900 Monza, ItalyDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, 20900 Monza, ItalyMedical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, 20900 Monza, ItalyMedical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, 20900 Monza, ItalyResectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continues to pose significant challenges with high recurrence and mortality rates, despite traditional platinum-based chemotherapy yielding only an approximate 5% improvement in 5-year overall survival when administered preoperatively or postoperatively. In recent years, the integration of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as nivolumab, durvalumab and pembrolizumab, with platinum-based regimens in the perioperative setting has emerged as a transformative strategy. Our comprehensive review, based on a systematic bibliographic search of PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov, targeting pivotal clinical trials from the past two decades, examines the impact of these neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemoimmunotherapy approaches on major pathological response rates and overall survival in early-stage NSCLC. Although these perioperative strategies represent a paradigm shift in treatment, promising durable responses are offset by persistent recurrence, emphasizing the necessity for optimized treatment sequencing, duration, and the identification of predictive biomarkers. Collectively, our findings underscore the critical role of the perioperative schema, particularly the neoadjuvant component, which enables the evaluation of novel biomarkers as surrogates for overall survival, in improving patient outcomes and delineating future research directions aimed at reducing mortality and enhancing the quality of life for patients with resectable NSCLC.https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/32/7/397perioperative in lung cancerresectable/early-stage NSCLCchemo-immunotherapies for NSCLCneoadjuvant ICIs
spellingShingle Thoma’ Dario Clementi
Francesca Colonese
Stefania Canova
Maria Ida Abbate
Luca Sala
Francesco Petrella
Gabriele Giuseppe Pagliari
Diego Luigi Cortinovis
Perioperative Chemo/Immunotherapies in Lung Cancer: A Critical Review on the Value of Perioperative Sequences
Current Oncology
perioperative in lung cancer
resectable/early-stage NSCLC
chemo-immunotherapies for NSCLC
neoadjuvant ICIs
title Perioperative Chemo/Immunotherapies in Lung Cancer: A Critical Review on the Value of Perioperative Sequences
title_full Perioperative Chemo/Immunotherapies in Lung Cancer: A Critical Review on the Value of Perioperative Sequences
title_fullStr Perioperative Chemo/Immunotherapies in Lung Cancer: A Critical Review on the Value of Perioperative Sequences
title_full_unstemmed Perioperative Chemo/Immunotherapies in Lung Cancer: A Critical Review on the Value of Perioperative Sequences
title_short Perioperative Chemo/Immunotherapies in Lung Cancer: A Critical Review on the Value of Perioperative Sequences
title_sort perioperative chemo immunotherapies in lung cancer a critical review on the value of perioperative sequences
topic perioperative in lung cancer
resectable/early-stage NSCLC
chemo-immunotherapies for NSCLC
neoadjuvant ICIs
url https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/32/7/397
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