Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39754112›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2025

Preoperative immunochemotherapy versus chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with stage I-IIIB small-cell lung cancer.

Linhai Zhu, Jiacong Liu, Xuhua Huang, Jian Hu

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Effect of neoadjuvantTranslational lung cancer research · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Linhai Zhu *Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China. Linhai_zhu@zju.edu.cn.
Jiacong Liu *Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
Xuhua Huang *Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
Jian HuDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China. dr_hujian@zju.edu.cn.

Funding

the National Key Research and Development Program of China 2022YFC2407303the Zhejiang Province Lung Tumor Diagnosis and Treatment Technology Research Supported by the Center JBZX-202007the Zhejiang Province Major Science and Technology Special Program Project 2020C03058
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo date, there remains a paucity of comparative investigations pertaining to preoperative immunochemotherapy and conventional chemotherapy in the context of limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) patients. This study conducted a comprehensive comparative assessment concerning the safety and efficacy profiles of preoperative immunochemotherapy and chemotherapy in individuals diagnosed with stage I-IIIB SCLC.

methodsThis investigation collected 53 consecutive patients diagnosed with LS-SCLC spanning stage I to IIIB who underwent preoperative immunochemotherapy or conventional chemotherapy at our hospital from January 2019 to July 2021. Patients were allocated to receive 2-4 cycles of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy or chemotherapy, with each cycle lasting three weeks. Comprehensive analyses encompassed baseline characteristics, clinical staging, tumor response, intraoperative and postoperative outcomes, and the assessment of treatment-related adverse events (trAEs). The follow-up period is extended for a minimum of one year after surgery. The primary endpoint embraced the evaluation of the pathological response [major pathological response (MPR) and pathological complete remission (pCR)], while secondary endpoints encompassed objective response rate (ORR), trAEs, surgical resection rates, and disease-free survival (DFS).

resultsThe objective response rate of the immunochemotherapy group was 89.5%, while that of the chemotherapy group was 75.0% (P = 0.206). A total of 19 patients underwent surgery among these 53 patients, with 14 patients in the neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy group and 5 patients in the chemotherapy group. And the surgical resection rate of the immunochemotherapy group was 48.3% (14/29), which was higher than the chemotherapy group (20.8%, 5/24, P = 0.038). The rate of MPR in the immunochemotherapy group was 57.1% (8/14) and 40.0% (2/5) in the chemotherapy group (P = 0.891). The rates of pCR in the immunochemotherapy and chemotherapy group were 50.0% (7/14) and 0.0% (0/5), respectively (P = 0.106).The median DFS for both groups were not reached (P = 0.43). The 2-year DFS rate was 21.4% for the immunochemotherapy group versus 40.0% for the chemotherapy group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of grade 3-4 adverse events between the immunochemotherapy group and the chemotherapy group.

conclusionsFor patients with stage I-IIIB SCLC, neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy is feasible and safe. Although immunochemotherapy did not significantly associated with longer DFS versus chemotherapy alone in patients with stage I-IIIB SCLC, it can produce significant downstaging and increase the possibility of surgery.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsLung NeoplasmsNeoadjuvant TherapyNeoplasm StagingSmall Cell Lung CarcinomaAdultAgedDisease-Free SurvivalFemaleHumansImmunotherapyMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeChemotherapyImmunochemotherapyNeoadjuvant treatmentSmall-cell lung cancerSurgery

Identifiers

PMID39754112
PMCPMC11697882

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.