Preliminary analysis of PD-1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant therapy for local advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

200 Background: The benefits of neoadjuvant immunotherapy and chemotherapy for resectable NSCLC suggest that this combined treatment may provide more surgical opportunities and survival benefits for potentially resectable locally advanced NSCLC. Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 28 patients with stage III EGFR/ALK/ROS wild-type NSCLC. Eligible patients received 2-8 cycles of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (squamous carcinoma: PD-1 inhibitor combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel and cisplatin/carboplatin; adenocarcinoma: PD-1 inhibitor combined with pemetrexed and carboplatin), followed by re-evaluation for surgery. Afterwards, patients underwent surgery after downstaging, with some receiving adjuvant immunotherapy maintenance for one year. Primary endpoints included major pathological response (MPR), pathological complete response (pCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: All 28 patients were male, with 7 (25%) in stage IIIA, 10 (35.7%) in IIIB, 4 (14.3%) in IIIC, 2 (7.14%) in IVA, and 2 (7.14%) in IVB. There were 22 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 4 of adenocarcinoma, 1 of large cell lung cancer, and 1 of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma. 23 patients (82.1%) completed neoadjuvant treatment and underwent resection, achieving 100% R0 resection rate (23/23); 5 patients did not undergo surgery, 3 of whom received combined radiochemotherapy due to disease progression, 1 delayed surgery due to immunotherapy associated myocardial damage, and 1 died from massive hemoptysis and hemorrhagic shock. The objective response rate (ORR) was 60.7%, 95%CI [40.6-78.5%] and the disease control rate (DCR) was 85.7%, 95%CI [67.3-96.0%]. Among the 23 patients who underwent surgery, the pCR was 60.9%, 95%CI [38.5-80.3%], MPR was 4.3%, 95%CI [0.1-21.9%], clinical downstaging rate was 50%, 95%CI [30.6-69.4%] and pathological downstaging rate was 86.9%, 95%CI [66.4-97.2%]. 17 patients (77.3%) underwent lobectomy, and 5 (22.7%) underwent bilobectomy with a median blood loss of 100 ml, IQR [55.0-100]. There were no surgery-related deaths. Postoperatively, one patient developed chylothorax, one had a lung infection, and the two improved after conservative treatment. 11 patients (47.8%) received post-surgery immunotherapy maintenance, and 2 of them (8.7%) developed immune-related pneumonia. As of April 7, 2024, the median follow-up time was 21.5 months (95%CI: 17-34 Mo), At 12 months。 PFS rate was 82.1% (95%CI: 69.1-97.6%); OS rate was 96.3% (95%CI: 89.4-100%). Conclusions: Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with surgery for unresectable locally advanced NSCLC may benefit patients and significantly extend survival.