Unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer: state of the art and challenges

Abstract

Despite advances in immunotherapy, unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a highly challenging disease, with only around one-third of patients remaining disease-free at 5 years. The PACIFIC trial established consolidation with the anti-PD-L1 antibody durvalumab after concurrent chemoradiotherapy as the standard-of-care approach. Furthermore, the LAURA trial has redefined the treatment of patients with stage III unresectable EGFR-mutant NSCLC, demonstrating unprecedented progression-free survival durations with osimertinib consolidation. Despite these advances, novel approaches are urgently needed. Circulating tumour DNA-based monitoring of minimal residual disease is emerging as a personalized method of tailoring treatment duration and escalation strategies. Novel radiotherapy techniques have the potential to provide synergy with immunotherapy while minimizing toxicities. Additionally, ongoing trials evaluating chemoimmunotherapy combinations adapted from the neoadjuvant setting with the potential for conversion to resectable disease might, in the near future, redefine the boundary of surgical resectability. In this Review, we describe the rapidly evolving field of unresectable stage III NSCLC, providing a state-of-the-art overview that includes challenging topics such as biomarkers, personalization of therapy and the role of immunotherapy rechallenge.