Photo Credit: Mohammed Haneefa Nizamudeen

The following is a summary of “A retrospective analysis of treatment patterns, overall survival, and real-world disease-free survival in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer following complete resection,” published in the July 2024 issue of Pulmonology by Hu et al.

Real-world insights into patient demographics, treatment patterns, and long-term survival outcomes are crucial for addressing gaps in care for individuals with completely resected early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

This retrospective analysis utilized electronic health records from the U.S.-based ConcertAI Patient360™ database, focusing on patients diagnosed with stage IB-IIIA NSCLC who underwent complete resection before March 1, 2016, and were followed until death or July 1, 2021. Adjuvant chemotherapy utilization, overall survival (OS), and real-world disease-free survival (rwDFS) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier methods. The relationship between OS and rwDFS was evaluated using the Kendall rank test. Landmark analyses examined OS and rwDFS among patients who remained recurrence-free for at least 5 years post-surgery.

A total of 441 patients were included in the analysis. Approximately 35% received adjuvant chemotherapy following resection. Median OS and rwDFS from the time of resection were 83.1 months and 42.4 months, respectively. The 5-year OS and rwDFS rates were 65.7% and 42.1%, respectively. A significant positive correlation was observed between OS and rwDFS (Kendall rank correlation coefficient = 0.67; p < 0.0001). Among patients who remained recurrence-free for 5 years post-resection, the subsequent 5-year OS and rwDFS rates were 52.9% and 36.6%, respectively.

Adjuvant chemotherapy use was underutilized, and despite complete resection, the overall 5-year OS rate remained suboptimal. However, patients who remained recurrence-free over time demonstrated favorable long-term survival outcomes. These findings underscore the potential benefits of achieving and maintaining disease-free status following initial treatment for early-stage NSCLC, highlighting areas where therapeutic strategies may be optimized to improve patient outcomes.

Source: bmcpulmmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12890-024-03138-y