A Critical Review of Immunomodulation in the Management of Inoperable Stage III NSCLC

The current standard of care for inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy with consolidation durvalumab. Despite this approach, about 50% of patients will experience disease recurrence, with about half of recurrence events occurring at distant metastatic sites. In this review, the authors performed a structured analysis of the available clinical trial data and literature related to the treatment of this disease. The authors discuss the detriments and merits of several of these trials and explore clinical and preclinical data that contribute to the growing body of literature supporting a future with new approaches, including new techniques in radiation therapy, sequencing, and agents. Upcoming trials may illuminate a path towards better outcomes for patients in this setting.