Atezolizumab in combination with chemotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer- neoadjuvant and adjuvant

Atezolizumab in combination with chemotherapy is in clinical development as a neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment for stage II, IIIA, or select IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer. Early-stage lung cancer is typically treated with surgery consisting of removing either part of or the whole of the lung, followed by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy (adjuvant). However, the long-term outlook for patients undergoing this treatment pathway is still poor. Treatment with medicines prior to surgery (neoadjuvant) and adjuvant (treatment after primary treatment) may provide better long-term survival prospects and reduce the risk of disease recurrence for patients with resectable NSCLC.
Atezolizumab is a type of protein called an antibody, which can bind to a protein called programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) to prevent it from interacting with its target (PD-1). Thus, helping immune cells kill cancer cells and is used to treat many different types of cancer that express PD-L1. If licensed, atezolizumab would offer a neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment option for patients with stage II, IIIA, or select IIIB NSCLC.