Surgery for Patients With cT3/4N2M0, Stage IIIB NSCLC. Is It Time to Redefine Resectability?

Chemoradiation followed by durvalumab is considered a standard approach for patients with locally advanced NSCLC. With improvements in perioperative and neoadjuvant approaches, there is renewed interest in offering surgery to carefully selected patients with cT3/4N2 stage IIIB cancer. We sought to assess survival outcomes after surgery as part of a multimodality treatment regimen for these patients. Patients with cT3/T4N2M0 NSCLC who received surgery (S) as part of a multimodality approach and patients receiving multimodality treatment without surgery (chemoradiation [CRT] or systemic therapy only) were identified in the National Cancer Database (2010–2019). We evaluated factors associated with the receipt of S (logistic regression). After propensity matching, we estimated the overall survival (OS) of patients who received S and compared with those who received CRT (Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression). A total of 44,756 patients were identified, of whom 3928 (8.8%) underwent S, 29,798 (66.6%) CRT, and 11,030 (24.6%) systemic therapy only. Fewer comorbidities (Charlson-Deyo index 0 or 1, adjusted OR [aOR]: 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.42), treatment at an academic facility (aOR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.52–1.89), private insurance (aOR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.61–3.69), adenocarcinoma histology (aOR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.22–1.79), and clinical T3 stage (