Are We Getting Closer to the Promise of Cure? New Progress and Future Directions in the Treatment of Early-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

摘要

In the article that accompanies this editorial, Uprety and West1 provide a concise review of the evolving data related to perioperative therapy in resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with practical considerations for clinicians to weigh and discuss with patients given the increased options now available in this space. Although cisplatin-based adjuvant therapy has remained the hallmark of adjuvant treatment for patients with stages IB (tumor size > 4 cm)-IIIA resected NSCLC,2 ultimately the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy alone is small, with most early-stage patients developing lung cancer recurrence, pointing to the need for better treatments. How do we weigh the need for potentially more treatment to prevent recurrence against the reality of significant toxicities that can occur with these therapies, even in patients who may have been cured with surgery alone? The authors astutely point to the need for future trials that balance of efficacy in eradicating micrometastatic disease and optimizing clinical efficacy while avoiding overtreatment that incurs added costs, toxicity, and time of patients in longitudinal treatment.