Effective neoadjuvant aumolertinib therapy facilitates transformation of unresectable to resectable advanced...

The majority of stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unresectable. However, effective treatment may enable patients to transition to resectable NSCLC, thereby extending the progression-free survival time. The current study presents the case of a female patient with stage IIIC unresectable lung cancer. The patient received icotinib followed by neoadjuvant aumolertinib, resulting in significant tumor shrinkage and downstaging to meet resectability criteria. Despite ~16 months of targeted therapy, including resistance to both first- and third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the patient achieved partial remission (PR) and became a candidate for surgical intervention. The patient was successfully transitioned from inoperable stage IIIC cancer to surgically resectable stage IB (ypT2N0M0). Postoperatively, the patient received aumerotinib as adjuvant therapy and is currently undergoing follow-up visits without evidence of recurrence or metastasis. The present findings provide novel insights into potential treatment choices for patients with inoperable stage IIIC NSCLC, emphasizing the possibility of achieving PR and undergoing surgery despite drug resistance. However, individual variations in such cases necessitate further research and validation before this approach can be widely implemented.