Integrating immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies in the treatment of early stage non-small cell lung cancer: a narrative review

Prognosis of early stage non-small cell lung cancer (eNSCLC) is poor even when treated radically with surgery and (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy (Cht). The discovery of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for oncogene addicted NSCLC and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionised the therapeutic paradigm and improved survival of advanced NSCLC. The unprecedented impact of these drugs has shifted the focus of investigation to early stage disease aiming at improving cure. In this context, several single arm phase II studies evaluating neoadjuvant ICI alone or in combination with platinum-based Cht have shown encouraging rates of pathological response which have spurred several ongoing randomized trials with (neo)adjuvant ICI. More recently, ADAURA study evaluating adjuvant osimertinib demonstrated a profound reduction of the risk of recurrence in patients with stage I (>4 cm)–IIIA eNSCLC harbouring EGFR sensitizing mutations. ICIs and TKIs represent a true revolution in the treatment of eNSCLC call to challenge the current standard of care. However, questions regarding drug resistance, recurrence patterns, biomarker identification, optimal treatment duration and sequencing need be answered to effectively integrate new drugs in the rapidly evolving therapeutic landscape of NSCLC. In this review we critically review new developments and future perspectives of TKIs and ICI as (neo)adjuvant strategies for eNSCLC.