# Re-evaluating perioperative and neoadjuvant immunotherapy in early-stage lung cancer: Current evidence and discussions

**Authors:** Enes ERUL

PMC · DOI: 10.5578/tt.2025011040 · 2025-03-24

## TL;DR

This editorial reviews the current evidence and debates around using immunotherapy before surgery for early-stage lung cancer.

## Contribution

The paper provides a critical analysis of recent clinical trials and discussions on perioperative and neoadjuvant immunotherapy in early-stage lung cancer.

## Key findings

- Neoadjuvant and perioperative immunotherapies show promise in improving survival and pathological response rates.
- Ongoing debates focus on toxicity profiles and patient-centered decision-making in treatment strategies.
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors are being evaluated for earlier-stage lung cancer based on their success in advanced cases.

## Abstract

ABSTRACT

Re-evaluating perioperative and neoadjuvant immunotherapy in early-stage lung
cancer: Current evidence and discussions Hairy vocal cords and hemoptysis

Early-stage lung cancer remains a challenging disease with a significant risk
of recurrence despite treatment. In recent years, there has been growing interest in
the application of neoadjuvant and perioperative immunotherapies. The success of
immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced stages has prompted their investigation in
earlier disease stages. This editorial examines clinical trials comparing the efficacy
of perioperative and neoadjuvant immunotherapies, focusing on their impact on
survival, pathological response rates, and toxicity profiles. Furthermore, ongoing
debates and the importance of patient-centered decision-making are discussed.

Key words:
 Early-stage lung cancer; neoadjuvant immunotherapy; perioperative treatment;
immune checkpoint inhibitors; non-small cell lung cancer

ÖZ

Erken evre akciğer kanserinde perioperatif ve neoadjuvan immünoterapinin yeniden
değerlendirilmesi: Mevcut kanıtlar ve tartışmalar

Erken evre akciğer kanseri, tedaviye rağmen tekrarlama riski taşıyan karma- şık
bir hastalıktır. Son yıllarda neoadjuvan ve perioperatif immünoterapilerin kullanımına
yönelik ilgi artmıştır. İmmün kontrol noktası inhibitörlerinin ileri evre
hastalıklardaki başarısı, bu tedavilerin daha erken evrelerde uygulanabilirliğini
gündeme getirmiştir. Bu editoryal, perioperatif ve neoadjuvan immünoterapilerin
etkinliğini karşılaştıran klinik çalışmaları; bu yaklaşımların sağkalım, patolojik
yanıt oranları ve toksisite profilleri üzerindeki etkilerini incelemektedir. Ayrıca
tedaviye ilişkin mevcut tartışmalar ile hasta merkezli karar verme sürecinin önemi ele
alınmaktadır.

Anahtar kelimeler:
 Erken evre akciğer kanseri; neoadjuvan immünoterapi; perioperatif tedavi; İmmün
kontrol noktası inhibitörleri; küçük hücreli olmayan akciğer kanseri

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** lung cancer (MONDO:0005138), non-small cell lung cancer (MONDO:0005233)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** lung cancer (MESH:D008175)

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC11977896