Morphological examination of surgical material of primary lung cancer after neoadjuvant therapy: recommendations and literature review

The degree of pathologic response in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) has prognostic impact as well as influence on patient’s management. It was shown that the best survival rates were achieved in patients with equals or less than 10% of residual carcinoma (major pathologic response) or with complete absence of invasive carcinoma (complete pathologic response). In 2020 the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer has published Multidisciplinary Recommendations for pathologic assessment of NSCLC resection specimens after NAT. In this article, we present the main points of the Recommendations taking into account our own experience in evaluating post-therapeutic changes in NSCLC. The article is intended primarily for pathologists practicing in oncological hospitals, but may also be of interest to other practitioners involved in the diagnostics and treatment of lung cancer patients.