Prof Yi-Long Wu speaks to ecancer about the results from a phase 3 trial evaluating perioperative anti–PD-L1 antibody therapy combined with chemotherapy in patients with resectable stage II–III non-small cell lung cancer.

The addition of immunotherapy significantly improved event-free survival and pathological response rates compared with chemotherapy alone, with a manageable safety profile consistent across treatment arms.

Exploratory analyses of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) demonstrated that clearance of ctDNA prior to surgery was strongly associated with higher rates of major pathological response and improved clinical outcomes.

Patients without ctDNA clearance after surgery showed poorer prognosis, highlighting its potential role in perioperative risk stratification.

Overall, these findings support perioperative immunotherapy as an effective treatment strategy in resectable NSCLC and underscore ctDNA dynamics as a promising biomarker for guiding treatment decisions.