Topic: Immunotherapy Advances in NSCLC: From Checkpoint Inhibitors to Combination Strategies

Immunotherapy has fundamentally reshaped the therapeutic landscape of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), offering substantial survival benefits to a subset of patients. The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) represents a cornerstone of this progress. However, both primary and acquired resistance remain major clinical challenges, limiting the long-term efficacy of ICI monotherapy. Future advances in NSCLC management increasingly lie in rational combination strategies designed to overcome resistance mechanisms, modulate the tumor microenvironment, and expand the population of patients who can benefit from immunotherapy. These strategies include combinations of ICIs with chemotherapy, antiangiogenic agents, targeted therapies, novel immunomodulatory agents, and radiotherapy. This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest breakthroughs and future directions in optimizing and expanding immunotherapy-based strategies for NSCLC.

Topics of Interest​

This Special Issue invites submissions of original research articles, reviews, and clinical trial reports that explore recent advances in immunotherapy for NSCLC. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

● Predictive biomarkers for response to ICIs and combination therapies (e.g., novel biomarkers beyond PD-L1and liquid biopsy);

● Mechanisms of resistance to immune checkpoint blockade and strategies to overcome them;

● Novel immune checkpoints and next-generation immunomodulatory targets;

● Combination strategies involving ICIs andchemotherapy or antiangiogenic agents across different treatment settings (neoadjuvant, adjuvant, first-line, and beyond);

● Synergistic approachesintegrating immunotherapy with targeted therapies (e.g., in oncogene-driven NSCLC);

● The role of immunotherapy in specific NSCLC populations and clinical subtypes (e.g., early-stage disease, brain metastases,and rare histological subtypes);

● Radiotherapy/cryotherapy and immunotherapy combinations (e.g., mechanisms of the abscopal effectand optimal treatment sequencing);

● Management of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in the context of combination therapies;

● Real-world evidence and health economicsand outcomes research related to immunotherapy in NSCLC.

Non-small cell lung cancer, immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, combination therapy, PD-1, PD-L1, biomarkers, tumor microenvironment, resistance