Pathologic Response and Surgical Outcomes of Neoadjuvant Immunochemotherapy in Locally Advanced NSCLC: A Single-Center, Retrospective Study

The present study aimed to observe the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immunocombination chemotherapy (nICT) in patients with locally advanced resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients who received nICT combined with chemotherapy followed by radical surgery at Yuebei People’s Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, from November 2020 to November 2024, were enrolled in the present study. The primary endpoint was major pathological response (MPR), while secondary endpoints included pathological complete response (pCR), R0 resection rate and safety outcomes. A total of 48 patients with NSCLC receiving nICT were enrolled, consisting of 41 males and 7 females, aged 41–73 years. All patients successfully completed surgery without delay. The pCR rate was 25.0% [12/48; 95% confidence interval (CI), 13.6–39.6%], the MPR rate was 41.7% (20/48; 95% CI, 27.6–56.8%) and the R0 resection rate was 97.9% (47/48; 95% CI, 88.9–99.9%). There were no operative deaths; however, one case was converted to thoracotomy due to intraoperative bleeding. Patients exhibited favorable safety profiles during both the nICT and post-operative period. Collectively, findings of the present study demonstrated that nICT for locally advanced NSCLC exhibits favorable efficacy and safety profiles. Although the single-arm design precludes direct comparative analyses, the observed response rates were superior to historical control data; therefore, randomized controlled trials are warranted to further validate these results.