Reshaping immunotherapy sequencing strategy: equivalent survival with induction plus consolidation vs. consolidation-only strategy in unresectable stage III NSCLC

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of a sequential combination of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) administered as induction plus consolidation versus consolidation-only in patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: = 112). Propensity score matching (PSM, 1:1 ratio) was used to balance baseline characteristics. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests. Adverse events (AEs) were evaluated according to CTCAE v5.0. RESULTS: = 0.004). CONCLUSION: In treatment-tolerant patients, induction plus consolidation therapy demonstrated comparable efficacy and safety to consolidation-only therapy in unresectable stage III NSCLC.