BALTIMORE -- In a world where cancer remains a formidable foe, a glimmer of hope has emerged for those battling non-small cell lung cancer. A recent analysis by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center has unveiled a potential paradigm shift in treatment strategies that could significantly improve patients' chances of survival.

The study, which will be presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2024 World Conference in San Diego, suggests that patients may benefit substantially from receiving immunotherapy treatments both before and after surgery, rather than just before.

"There's been a big migration in lung cancer and in melanoma treatment in the last few years from doing surgery upfront and giving postoperative immunotherapy, to giving immunotherapy prior to surgery. But our analysis in individual patients in these two trials suggests that there is likely a further benefit from receiving additional immunotherapy treatment after surgery," explains Dr. Patrick Forde, an adjunct professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in a media release.