Prospective study of conversion surgery after induction therapy for initially unresectable stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer

A prospective study at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China) was carried out to prove the concept of conversion surgery in initially unresectable stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study enrolled 30 patients who had received induction therapy and were evaluated as radically resectable. The primary outcome was perioperative morbidity. The R0 resection rate was 93.3% 928/30). Postoperative morbidity was reported in ten patients (33.3%). The rates of major pathologic response and pathologic complete response were 66.7% and 26.7%, respectively. With median follow-up of 17 months, the rates of 1-year event-free survival and overall survival were 87.5% and 96.7%, respectively. The authors conclude that conversion surgery after induction therapy was safe and feasible, with encouraging survival outcomes for selected patients with initially unresectable stage III NSCLC.