Dr Paulo Costa Discusses Advances in Stage III Lung Cancer Care at MDT Lung Talks

Dr Paulo Costa, Radiation Oncologist and Clinical Coordinator at Júlio Teixeira, part of Stingray Healthcare Group, recently took part in the MDT Lung Talks, organised by AstraZeneca. Joining the panel discussion, “MDT in Borderland: How to Enjoy the Ride?”, he shared insights into the evolving management of locally advanced unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The discussion focused on one of the most complex areas of lung cancer care, where rapid advances in imaging, radiotherapy and systemic therapies are transforming clinical decision-making and creating new opportunities to improve patient outcomes.

The value of multidisciplinary decision-making

Treating unresectable stage III NSCLC requires expertise from across multiple specialties, including Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Thoracic Surgery, Pulmonology, Radiology and Pathology. Bringing these perspectives together enables treatment plans to be tailored to each patient’s disease characteristics and overall clinical profile.

During the session, Dr Costa highlighted how innovations in anatomical and functional imaging, alongside an increasingly sophisticated understanding of tumour biology, are helping multidisciplinary teams make more informed treatment decisions.

This collaborative approach allows clinicians to identify the most appropriate strategy for every patient, whether that involves definitive chemoradiotherapy, surgery, systemic therapy or a combination of treatment modalities.

Changing the standard of care

Dr Costa also discussed how the treatment landscape for unresectable stage III NSCLC has evolved following definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

He highlighted the PACIFIC trial as a pivotal milestone that established consolidation immunotherapy as the standard of care for eligible patients, demonstrating meaningful improvements in both progression-free and overall survival.

The introduction of durvalumab has since further strengthened long-term disease control and represents one of the most important advances in the treatment of locally advanced NSCLC in recent years.

Watch Dr Paulo Costa’s full interview, published by My Oncologia.