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Updated: May 15, 2026
Thoracoscopic Extended Right Middle Plus Lower Sleeve Lobectomy for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Published on: February 27, 2026
Histology-Based Induction Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Surgery for Stage IIIA-N2 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A
Hironori Ishibashi1, Ayaka Asakawa1, Yusuke Sugita1
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Purpose:
Although immune checkpoint inhibitor-based perioperative therapy has become the standard for resectable stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), not all patients are eligible for this approach. This study evaluated long-term outcomes of histology-based induction chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery.
Methods:
This prospective observational study enrolled 48 consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC between April 2010 and May 2025. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma (Sq) received cisplatin/vinorelbine, while those with non-squamous cell carcinoma (non-Sq) received cisplatin/pemetrexed, both with concurrent radiotherapy (50 Gy), followed by surgery.
Results:
All 48 patients (25 Sq, 23 non-Sq) completed induction CRT; 45 (93.8%) underwent surgery, with 97.8% achieving complete resection. Median follow-up was 48.8 months. The 5-year overall survival/disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 77.9%/77.3% for Sq and 70.5%/33.7% for non-Sq cohorts. Grade 3/4 toxicities were more frequent in Sq patients (80.0% vs. 21.7%, p <0.001). Exploratory analysis revealed inferior DFS in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non-Sq patients, though overall survival remained favorable with subsequent tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy.
Conclusion:
Histology-based induction CRT followed by surgery demonstrated feasibility and favorable outcomes, particularly for Sq and EGFR-negative non-Sq NSCLC. These findings provide a reference for patients ineligible for immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapy.