Bronchoscopic intratumoural therapies for non-small cell lung cancer

Andrew DeMaio1, Daniel Sterman2

  • 1NYU PORT (Pulmonary Oncology Research Team), Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, NYU Langone Health/NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States.

Insights

Novel bronchoscopic treatments offer targeted intratumoral immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This approach aims to improve suboptimal response rates seen with current therapies by directly targeting the tumor microenvironment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Pulmonology

Background:

  • Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment has advanced with immune checkpoint inhibitors, but response rates are still suboptimal.
  • Direct intratumoral injection via bronchoscopy offers advantages over systemic delivery, including reduced toxicity and direct targeting of the tumor microenvironment.
  • Advances in understanding the tumor microenvironment and cancer immunology have revealed new therapeutic targets.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in bronchoscopic treatments for NSCLC over the past decade.
  • To focus on the potential of intratumoral immunotherapy, alone or in combination with systemic treatments, for NSCLC.
  • To highlight the advantages of direct intratumoral injection for targeting the tumor microenvironment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of scientific literature on novel bronchoscopic treatments for NSCLC.
  • Analysis of developments in intratumoral immunotherapy over the last ten years.
  • Focus on combination strategies involving intratumoral and systemic therapies.

Main Results:

  • Significant progress has been made in developing novel bronchoscopic therapeutic approaches for NSCLC.
  • Intratumoral immunotherapy shows promise for directly targeting the NSCLC tumor microenvironment.
  • Combination therapies, including intratumoral immunotherapy with systemic treatments, are being explored to enhance efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • Bronchoscopic delivery of intratumoral therapies represents a promising strategy for NSCLC treatment.
  • Further research into intratumoral immunotherapy, particularly in combination regimens, is warranted to improve patient outcomes.
  • Direct targeting of the tumor microenvironment via bronchoscopy offers a potential avenue to overcome limitations of current systemic therapies.