Multicenter phase 2 trial of atezolizumab before and after chemoradiation for unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer

Outcomes for patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with chemoradiation therapy (CRT) have improved with adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors. Starting atezolizumab prior to CRT may further improve the outcomes. A single-cohort, phase 2, nonrandomized controlled trial at 11 US sites included 62 adult patients with unresectable stage III non-small lung cancer who received neoadjuvant atezolizumab, followed by CRT and adjuvant atezolizumab. The disease control rate for neoadjuvant atezolizumab at 12 weeks was 74.2%. The median progression-free survival was 30.0 months, and the 24-month survival rate was 73.7%. The authors conclude that these findings suggest the need of further study of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for unresectable stage III NSCLC is randomized clinical trials.