Surgical techniques for non-small-cell lung cancer after neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy: state of art and review of the literature

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80-85% of all lung cancers. Approximately 20% of patients with NSCLC are diagnosed with stage IIIA-IIIB disease, for which the optimal treatment remains unclear. Meta-analyses reveal that neoadjuvant/perioperative ICI-chemotherapy significantly improves pathological complete response (pCR), overall survival (OS), major pathological response (MPR), and R0 rate compared to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Resectability is achieved when R0 resection can be performed after surgery. Radiographic downstaging often does not correspond to surgical downstaging. In fact, intra-operative fibrosis due to chemo-immunotherapy (synonymous with ICI-chemotherapy) can create adhesions and consequent difficult planes for dissection. Thus, pneumonectomy cannot be avoided. Even the suspicion of N2 after neoadjuvant treatment is considered a limitation of upfront surgery because of the risk of pneumonectomy. The aim of this review is to explore the literature on the technical strategies for surgical excision of NSCLC after chemo-immunotherapy, addressing even the most challenging scenarios.