Adjuvant Versus Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for NSCLC

Video

For High-Definition, Click

For patients with NSCLC undergoing surgical resection with curative intent, clinical trials have demonstrated that adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy prolongs life and improves other outcomes, notes Benjamin P. Levy, MD. Chemotherapy may be administered after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) or before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy).

The results of meta-analyses have demonstrated that outcomes with neoadjuvant chemotherapy are similar to outcomes with adjuvant chemotherapy. There are theoretical benefits associated with a neoadjuvant approach, comments Levy. For example, with a neoadjuvant approach, patients may be more likely to complete all 4 planned cycles of chemotherapy, whereas it may be more challenging for patients to complete all 4 cycles of chemotherapy after surgery. Levy adds that at his practice site, clinicians generally rely on adjuvant chemotherapy.

Related Videos
Arya Amini, MD
Vlad Gabriel Zaha, MD, PhD
Raj Singh, MD
Bruna Pellini, MD
Benjamin Levy, MD
Nisha A. Mohindra, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Jobelle Baldonado, MD
Joshua K. Sabari, MD, an expert on lung cancer, presenting slides
Chul Kim, MD, MPH
Salman R. Punekar, MD, Mayo Clinic