How to manage patients with a stage III NSCLC?

Educational session with Prof Vansteenkiste (UZ Leuven), Prof Spicer (Mc Gill University, Montreal) and Prof Dziadziuszko (Medical University, Gdansk)

This symposium held during ESMO 2023 in Madrid centered on addressing the complex management of stage III NSCLC. MediMix gathered 3 experts to discuss various treatment strategies, including both surgical and non-surgical approaches, such as neo-adjuvant, adjuvant, and preoperative modalities. The evolving landscape of stage III NSCLC management was characterised by a multitude of possible combinations and treatment options, underscoring the need for a multidisciplinary tumour board to navigate the myriad questions that arise. These experts were Prof Jonathan Spicer, a thoracic surgeon from Montreal, Canada, Prof Dziadziusko, a thoracic radiotherapist from Gdansk, Poland; and moderator Prof Emeritus Johan Vansteenkiste from Leuven, Belgium

These experts discussed the three-year update of the KEYNOTE 671 trial and the first preliminary findings of the CheckMate 77T study.

The symposium didn’t solely focus on clinical trial results but also examined the broader landscape of stage III NSCLC management. One of the enduring challenges is the determination of resectability, which has been an ongoing discussion for two decades, especially concerning N2 disease

Collaboration among healthcare professionals is a recurring theme within this context. The symposium emphasised that no stage of lung cancer, in the view of the presenter, should be managed by a single specialist in isolation

Furthermore, there is ongoing research aimed at optimising treatment strategies for both fit and frail patients. For fit patients, the focus is on enhancing treatment through radiotherapy intensification and novel radiation technologies.