The earlier, the better? A review of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in resectable non-small-cell lung cancer

Abstract

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized the approach to advanced and locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Antibodies blocking inhibitory immune checkpoints, such as programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1), have remarkable antitumor efficacy and have been approved as a standard first- or second-line treatment in non-oncogene-addicted advanced NSCLC. The successful application of immunotherapy in advanced lung cancer has motivated researchers to further evaluate its clinical role as a neoadjuvant setting for resectable NSCLC and for improved long-term overall survival and curative rates. In this review, we discuss the efforts that incorporate ICIs into the treatment paradigm for surgically resectable lung cancer. We reviewed the early-phase results from neoadjuvant clinical trials, the landscape of the majority of ongoing phase III trials, and discuss the prospects of ICIs as a curative therapy for resectable lung cancer. We also summarized the potential biomarkers and beneficiaries involved in the current study, as well as the remaining unresolved challenges for neoadjuvant immunotherapy.