The 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting was held in Chicago. At the meeting, researches on the treatment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) once again took the spotlight. Combination therapy strategies have demonstrated the potential to overcome resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) and prolong survival. Meanwhile, progress has also been made in individualized treatment strategies for young patients and those with fibrotic interstitial lung disease. However, the complexity of resistance mechanisms, special treatment considerations for different populations, and the impact of socioeconomic factors on treatment accessibility remain challenges in the field of EGFR-mutant NSCLC treatment. In the future, it is necessary to further explore more effective treatment regimens and expand the accessibility of precision medicine to maximize patient benefits.
[Abstract]The 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) has recently concluded successfully. As the largest and most influential academic conference in the field of lung cancer diagnosis and treatment globally, this year's meeting presented long-term follow-up data from numerous key studies and exploratory results of novel treatment strategies. In the realm of targeted therapy, new-generation combination strategies have been established as a novel standard for first-line treatment in patients with advanced EGFR-mutant disease, significantly improving overall survival. Regarding immunotherapy, innovative combination regimens not only effectively address the challenge of resistance following EGFR-targeted therapy but also demonstrate clear long-term survival benefits in the perioperative setting and for patients with locally advanced disease, thereby informing new directions for treating earlier stages of non-small cell lung cancer. Substantial progress has been made with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which have shown remarkable efficacy not only in patients with specific resistance mutations and those with brain metastases but also exhibit great potential for treating lung cancer patients with HER2 alterations and those with small cell lung cancer, offering new options for refractory cases. However, significant challenges remain, including the heterogeneity of resistance mechanisms, the selection of optimal treatment regimens, and therapeutic strategies for special populations. Future research must focus on exploring precise biomarkers and optimizing treatment strategies to comprehensively enhance clinical outcomes for lung cancer patients.
The 2025 European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC) convened in Paris, France, centering on the optimization and innovation of immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Key topics at the congress included the application strategies for perioperative immunotherapy, breakthroughs in combination therapy models for advanced NSCLC, and the emerging roles of biomarkers in predicting diverse treatment outcomes. This paper integrates data from several key pivotal studies to systematically analyze the clinical value of neoadjuvant therapy within the perioperative setting, the potential of targeted combination regimens, and the challenges of managing drug resistance, thus offering new directions for clinical practice.
