Unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer: Insights from a Portuguese expert panel.

INTRODUCTION The management of unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is clinically challenging and there is no current consensus on optimal strategies. Herein, a panel of Portuguese experts aims to present practical recommendations for the global management of unresectable stage III NSCLC patients. METHODS A group of Portuguese lung cancer experts debated aspects related to the diagnosis, staging and treatment of unresectable stage III NSCLC in light of current evidence. Recent breakthroughs in immunotherapy as part of a standard therapeutic approach were also discussed. This review exposes the major conclusions obtained. RESULTS Practical recommendations for the management of unresectable stage III NSCLC were proposed, aiming to improve the pathways of diagnosis and treatment in the Portuguese healthcare system. Clinical heterogeneity of patients with stage III NSCLC hinders the development of single standardised algorithm where all fit. CONCLUSIONS A timely diagnosis and a proper staging contribute to the best management of each patient, optimizing treatment tolerance and effectiveness. The expert panel considered chemoradiotherapy as the preferable approach when surgery is not possible. Management of adverse events and immunotherapy as a consolidation therapy are also essential steps for a successful strategy.

• Publication year

  2023

• Venue

  Pulmonology

• Publication date

  2023-01-01

• Fields of study

  Medicine

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.pulmoe.2022.11.008PMID 36717296
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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