The following is the summary of “Treatment patterns and survival of patients with locoregional recurrence in early-stage NSCLC: a literature review of real-world evidence” published in the October 2022 issue of Medicine by Bowes, et al.


Patients who have been successfully treated for early-stage (I–III) resectable non-small cell lung cancer (eNSCLC) have a rate of developing locoregional recurrence that ranges from about 10–50%. Treatment guidelines recommend salvage therapies such as surgery, local ablative therapy, and (chemo)radiotherapy. However, there is a shortage of prospective trials examining the appropriate post-surgical follow-up for this patient population. The objective of this literature analysis was to find observational studies that describe treatment patterns and survival outcomes in patients with eNSCLC who experienced locoregional recurrence. The criteria for this study were established in advance. 

According to the findings, around 80% of patients diagnosed with locoregional recurrence received active treatment during their clinical care in the real world. Treatments such as chemotherapy (35.7% of cases), chemoradiotherapy (31.2%), radiation (20.3% of cases), and surgery alone (12.8% of cases) were carried out the majority of the time. Chemoradiotherapy was associated with improved progression-free survival and overall survival compared to radiation. However, patients who received surgery in addition to any of these therapies did not have any statistically significant improvement in their chances of survival. The survival rate of patients after treatment for locoregional recurrence was generally poor, and the proportion of patients who experienced any form of post-treatment re-recurrence ranged from 35 to 72%. 

The overall survival rate of patients following treatment for locoregional recurrence was generally poor. These findings highlight the need to develop more effective treatment strategies for locoregional recurrence, including preventative treatments and strategies to improve the survival outcomes of those who develop locoregional recurrence. These findings also highlight the need to develop more effective treatment strategies for metastatic disease.

Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9617826/

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