Best Practices and Research Advances in Thoracic Oncology: A Regional Series LATAM Course 2: Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer-Adjuvant Treatment: A New Opportunity

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Video Summary

The discussion addressed the evolving landscape of adjuvant therapy, focusing on immunotherapy for lung cancer. Historically, adjuvant chemotherapy provided minimal benefits, necessitating new approaches due to high recurrence and mortality post-surgery. The session highlighted a shift towards neoadjuvant therapies, which, by treating tumors in place before surgery, could enhance immune responses. Two pivotal studies, Empower 10 and Keynote 091, demonstrated that adjuvant immunotherapy, particularly with pembrolizumab, improved disease-free survival rates. Moreover, perioperative immunotherapy, which combines neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatments, showed promising results unexpectedly propelling a positive trend. Future strategies might include personalized medicine, using biomarkers to direct treatment and incorporating MRD (minimal residual disease) assessments to fine-tune therapeutic strategies. Additionally, financial considerations and the need for continued exploration of improved biomarkers were noted for better precision in lung cancer treatment. These innovative approaches aim to enhance survival rates and develop more effective immunotherapy protocols.

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Luis Raez, MD

Keywords

adjuvant immunotherapy

lung cancer

neoadjuvant therapies

pembrolizumab

personalized medicine