Management of Advanced Solid Tumors Recurring After Adjuvant Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Structured Narrative Review

Vollständiger Abstract

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Adjuvant and perioperative immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have created a growing population of patients who relapse after prior programmed death-1 or programmed death-ligand 1 blockade, yet these patients were underrepresented in many trials that established metastatic standards. We performed a structured narrative review of PubMed/MEDLINE, ClinicalTrials.gov, reference lists, and international oncology guideline repositories through 15 August 2026. Eligible reports addressed recurrence patterns or treatment after curative-intent ICI in melanoma, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), urothelial carcinoma, or triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); landmark metastatic studies were included only when direct evidence was unavailable and are labeled as extrapolation. Timing was standardized as on-treatment recurrence, early off-treatment recurrence (after the last ICI dose through 12 months), and late recurrence (>12 months). Shorter disease-free interval is consistently prognostic, but treatment-by-timing interactions are rarely available; timing should not be described as a validated pan-tumor predictive biomarker. Direct post-adjuvant evidence supports switching away from anti-PD-1 monotherapy for melanoma recurring on treatment, while selected late relapses may retain sensitivity. In RCC, retrospective post-adjuvant data support VEGF-targeted options, whereas CONTACT-03 and TiNivo-2 discourage routine ICI-TKI rechallenge specifically after prior ICI-treated metastatic RCC. Evidence in NSCLC, urothelial carcinoma, and TNBC is largely indirect. IMpassion132 was not an ICI-rechallenge trial, and only a small minority of ASCENT-04 participants had prior perioperative ICI. Treatment should integrate tumor-specific biology, actionable alterations, recurrence distribution, prior toxicity, comorbidity, access, and patient preference. Prospective trials dedicated to post-adjuvant ICI recurrence are needed.