The efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy in resectable stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy (NICT) is a new treatment method for resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Network meta-analysis assessed efficacy, safety, and optimal treatment.

We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing NICT with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and international conferences. Outcomes were surgical resection rate, pathological complete response(pCR),event-free survival (EFS), and Grade 3–5 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs).

RCTs of 3,387 patients, six treatment combinations, and two modalities were included. Meta-analysis showed that NICT yielded higher pCR and EFS rates than NCT. The toripalimab-chemotherapy combination had the highest surgical resection rate (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.05–2.73), pCR (OR = 38.84, 95% CI: 11.05–268.19) and EFS (HR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.28–0.58).This regimen worked well for patients with low programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression or squamous cell pathology. For high PD-L1 expression and patients with NSCLC, neoadjuvant nivolumab with chemotherapy had the most efficacy. The incidence of treatment-related adverse events increased with longer treatment cycles, with perioperative nivolumab combined with chemotherapy showing the worst safety profile (RR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.00–1.76), while neoadjuvant nivolumab combined with chemotherapy alone had the best safety profile (RR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.68–1.21). Indirect comparison showed no survival benefit for neoadjuvant-adjuvant immunotherapy (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.65–1.35). In the indirect comparison between the two immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs), although there was no significant difference in EFS (HR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.61–1.08), PD-1 inhibitors may still be the most effective treatment option.

NICT effectively and safely treats resectable NSCLC. The optimal treatment combination is typically toripalimab and chemotherapy. Treatment based on PD-L1 expression and pathological type is recommended.