Real-World Treatment Patterns, Overall Survival, and Occurrence and Costs of Adverse Events Associated With First-line Therapies for Medicare Patients 65 Years and Older With Advanced Non-small-cell Lung Cancer: A Retrospective Study

CDK4/6 Inhibitor Efficacy in ESR1-Mutant Metastatic Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

In estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, ESR1 mutations (ESR1m) are a common mechanism of acquired resistance to aromatase inhibitors (ArIh). However, the impact ESR1 alterations have on CDK4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) sensitivity has not been established. Analyses of CDK4/6i trials suggest that the endocrine therapy partner and specific ESR1 allele may affect susceptibility. We analyzed a real-world data set to investigate CDK4/6i efficacy in ESR1m metastatic breast cancer and associated clinical factors.

METHODS

ESR1m were identified by analysis of circulating-tumor deoxyribonucleic acid. The GuardantINFORM database contains genomic information from tumors linked with claims data. Patients who started a CDK4/6i within 30 days of sequencing were categorized as having ESR1m or non-ESR1-mutant (non-ESR1m) breast cancer. Data were analyzed to determine the real-world time-to-next-treatment, defined as the start of a breast cancer treatment to initiation of the subsequent treatment.

RESULTS

One hundred forty-five patients with ESR1m and 612 with non-ESR1m metastatic breast cancer were analyzed. ESR1m and non-ESR1m tumors had similar real-world time-to-next-treatment on CDK4/6i regimens (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.82 to 1.23). Duration on therapy in the first-line and second-line plus treatment settings were comparable regardless of ESR1 status. We stratified treatment duration by concurrent endocrine therapy, and patients with ESR1m had worse outcomes on ArIh but comparable real-world time-to-next-treatment on fulvestrant.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest ESR1 variants are not associated with pan-CDK4/6i resistance and are consistent with the hypothesis that CDK4/6 blockade combined with a selective estrogen receptor degrader is potentially an effective option for ESR1m metastatic breast cancer.

Overall survival and role of programmed death ligand 1 expression in patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer and immunotherapy: an observational study from central Switzerland

BACKGROUND

In clinical trials, therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors has improved the survival of patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These trials were important for drug approval and for defining new treatment standards but the effect of checkpoint inhibitors in patients treated outside of clinical trials is not well known. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of immunotherapy on the overall survival of patients with metastatic NSCLC in the region of central Switzerland.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 274 patients with histologically confirmed metastatic (stage IV) NSCLC in central Switzerland in the years 2015 to 2018. Patients with NSCLC and actionable driver mutations were excluded. Patients with checkpoint inhibitor treatment (immuno-oncology [IO] group, n = 122) were compared with patients without checkpoint inhibitor treatment (no-IO group, n = 152). Baseline demographics, disease characteristics and therapies applied were collected retrospectively. The primary endpoint was median overall survival calculated either from diagnosis or from the start of checkpoint inhibitor therapy to death or data cut-off (21 July 2021). We used the Kaplan-Meier method and an adjusted Cox proportional-hazards regression model. The expression of programmed-death ligand 1 (PD-L1) on tumour cells was used for exploratory analysis.

RESULTS

Patients had a median age of 68.4 years, most were male (61.7%) and more than half were current or former smokers (65%). A test for PD-L1 expression was available for 55.8% of the tumours. Patients in the IO group were younger than patients in the no-IO group. Among the 122 patients in the IO group, the median overall survival was 15 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 12-20). In the no-IO group, the median overall survival was 4 months (95% CI 3-7) with chemotherapy and 2 months (95% CI 1-2) with best supportive care. Patients with high (≥50%) PD-L1 expression and checkpoint inhibitor therapy had a slightly longer overall survival than patients with low PD-L1 and checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that treatment with checkpoint inhibitors improves overall survival in patients with metastatic NSCLC and that PD-L1 expression could have a predictive value in patients treated outside of clinical trials. Further studies are needed to study the magnitude of the benefit of checkpoint inhibitors according to molecular NSCLC subtype.

Cost-effectiveness of first-line immunotherapies for advanced non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Researchers have not simultaneously compared the cost-effectiveness of six immunotherapies with chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness across different programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) levels.

METHODS

A Markov model with lifetime horizon was created for seven regimens: pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (pembro-chemo), nivolumab plus ipilimumab (nivo-ipi), nivolumab, ipilimumab plus chemotherapy (nivo-ipi-chemo), atezolizumab plus chemotherapy (atezo-chemo), atezolizumab, bevacizumab plus chemotherapy (atezo-beva-chemo), single-agent pembrolizumab, and chemotherapy alone. Input parameters were derived from trial data, a network meta-analysis, and other literature. We conducted the analysis from the perspective of US health care sector.

RESULTS

For all patients without considering PD-L1 expression, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of pembro-chemo versus chemotherapy was $183,299 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). The preferred regimens based on ICERs differed by PD-L1 levels. For patients with PD-L1 ≥50%, pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy and pembro-chemo versus pembrolizumab resulted in ICERs of $96,189 and $198,913 per QALY, respectively. The other strategies were dominated. For patients with PD-L1 of 1%-49%, the ICER of pembro-chemo comparing to chemotherapy was $218,159 per QALY. The other regimens were dominated by pembro-chemo. For patients with PD-L1 <1%, nivo-ipi versus chemotherapy and nivo-ipi-chemo versus nivo-ipi resulted in ICERs of $161,277 and $881,975 per QALY, and the other regimens were dominated strategies. At the willingness-to-pay threshold of $150,000 per QALY, pembrolizumab had 87% and pembro-chemo had 1% probabilities being cost-effective in patients with PD-L1 ≥50% and 1%-49%, respectively. Nivo-ipi had a 34% probability being cost-effective in patients with PD-L1 <1%.

CONCLUSIONS

The PD-L1 level should be incorporated into treatment decision-making. Our findings suggest that first-line pembrolizumab, pembro-chemo, and nivo-ipi are the preferred strategies for patients with PD-L1 ≥50%, 1%-49%, and <1%, respectively.

The Efficacy of Drug-eluting Bead Transarterial Chemoembolization Loaded With Oxaliplatin for the Treatment of Stage III-IV Non-small-cell Lung Cancer

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

To explore the safety and efficacy of drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) loaded with oxaliplatin for stage III-IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From October 2018 to May 2021, a total of 31 patients with stage III-IV NSCLC received DEB-TACE loaded with oxaliplatin. Demographic characteristics, adverse events (AEs), and treatment responses were collected. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

All 31 patients successfully received DEB-TACE loaded with oxaliplatin. No procedure-related severe adverse events occurred. Hemoptysis symptoms presented in 8 patients but disappeared within 1-3 days. After DEB-TACE for 1, 2, and 6 months, the objective response rate (ORR) was 42%, 35%, and 26%, while the disease control rate (DCR) was 90%, 84% and 61%, respectively. The median PFS was 7 months (range 1-31 months), and the PFS rates at 3, 6, and 12 months were 87%, 71% and 29%, respectively. The median OS was 11 months (range 1-31 months), with OS rates of 87%, 77%, and 39% at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Oxaliplatin-loaded DEB-TACE is a feasible, safe, and effective treatment for patients with advanced refractory non-small-cell lung cancer.

Real-World Outcomes and Treatments Patterns Prior and after the Introduction of First-Line Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Simple Summary

The advent of immuno-oncology (IO) agents, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has changed the treatment landscape of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We performed a retro-prospective study to describe the patients’ outcomes prior to and after the local regulatory approval of pembrolizumab as a first-line (1L) treatment in the real-world setting of an Italian cancer centre. Analyses were performed of a total of 694 patients with no or unknown oncogene addicted tumour, grouped into Pre- (n = 344) and Post- (n = 350) 1L IO populations. The study provides evidence of improvements in overall survival associated with the introduction of 1L immunotherapy, suggesting that receiving immunotherapy in the first-line rather than in the second- or later lines of treatment may be more favourable.

Abstract

Background: This study provides insights into the treatment use and outcomes of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in a real-world setting prior to and after the availability of immuno-oncology (IO) regimens in the first line (1L). Methods: Metastatic NSCLC patients, who initiated systemic 1L anticancer treatment from 2014 to 2020, were identified from health records. Patients were grouped into Pre-1L IO and Post-1L IO, according to the availability of pembrolizumab 1L monotherapy at the date of initiating 1L systemic anticancer treatment. Patient characteristics, treatment patterns and outcomes were assessed by the cohort. Overall survival (OS) and real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The most common 1L treatment was platinum-based chemotherapy regimens in both groups (≥46%), followed by single-agent chemotherapy (27.0%) in Pre-1L IO and pembrolizumab (26.0%) in Post-1L IO. Median OS was 6.2 (95% CI 5.5–7.4) in Pre- and 8.9 months (95% CI 7.5–10.6) in Post-1L IO, while rwPFS was 3.7 (95% CI 3.3–4.2) and 4.7 months (95% CI 3.9–5.7), respectively. Conclusions: Even if a small proportion of patients received a 1L IO, the data showed an improved survival outcomes in the Post-1L IO group.

Cost-Effectiveness of Tumor Genomic Profiling to Guide First-Line Targeted Therapy Selection in Patients With Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES

A cost-effectiveness analysis comparing comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) of 10 oncogenes, targeted gene panel testing (TGPT) of 4 oncogenes, and no tumor profiling over the lifetime for patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' perspective was conducted.

METHODS

A decision analytic model used 10 000 hypothetical Medicare beneficiaries with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma to simulate outcomes associated with CGP (ALK, BRAF, EGFR, ERBB2, MET, NTRK1, NTRK2, NTRK3, RET, ROS1), TGPT (ALK, BRAF, EGFR, ROS1), and no tumor profiling (no genes tested). First-line targeted cancer-directed therapies were assigned if actionable gene variants were detected; otherwise, nontargeted cancer-directed therapies were assigned. Model inputs were derived from randomized trials (progression-free survival, adverse events), the Veterans Health Administration and Medicare (drug costs), published studies (nondrug cancer-related management costs, health state utilities), and published databases (actionable variant prevalences). Costs (2019 US$) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were discounted at 3% per year. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses used 1000 Monte Carlo simulations.

RESULTS

No tumor profiling was the least costly/person ($122 613 vs $184 063 for TGPT and $188 425 for CGP) and yielded the least QALYs/person (0.53 vs 0.73 for TGPT and 0.74 for CGP). The costs per QALY gained and corresponding 95% confidence interval were $310 735 ($278 323-$347 952) for TGPT vs no tumor profiling and $445 545 ($322 297-$572 084) for CGP vs TGPT. All probabilistic sensitivity analysis simulations for both comparisons surpassed the willingness-to-pay threshold ($150 000 per QALY gained).

CONCLUSION

Compared with no tumor profiling in patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma, tumor profiling (TGPT, CGP) improves quality-adjusted survival but is not cost-effective.

Lung Cancer and Self-Management Interventions: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide. Evidence suggests self-management (SM) interventions benefit cancer patients. This review aims to determine the effectiveness of SM interventions for lung cancer patients. Method: Searches occurred in PubMed, Cinahl, ProQuest, Psych Info, Scopus, and Medline, using predefined criteria, assessing randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Results: Five hundred and eighty-seven studies were yielded, 10 RCTs met criteria. Of the total patient pool, 1001 of 1089 had Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Six studies tested home-based SM exercise, two studies SM education, and one each for diary utilisation and symptom reporting. Fatigue was the most targeted function. Other functions targeted included exercise capacity, anxiety, depression, quality of life (QoL), sleep quality, and symptom burden. Six studies met their primary endpoints (five SM exercise, one SM education). Positive outcomes are described for fatigue, anxiety/depression, sleep quality, self-efficacy, and exercise capacity. With exception to fatigue, early-stage NSCLC, younger age, female, never smokers, partnered patients experienced increased treatment effect. Conclusions: SM interventions improve outcomes among some lung cancer patients. Interventions targeting fatigue yield benefit despite histology, stage or gender and could encourage broader cohort engagement. Consideration of patient characteristics may predict SM effect. Effectiveness of home-based SM exercise by NSCLC stage and SM tailored to sociodemographic variables requires further research.

A Real-World Analysis of Patients with Untreated Metastatic Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)-Mutated Lung Adenocarcinoma Receiving First-Line Erlotinib and Bevacizumab Combination Therapy

INTRODUCTION

The clinical features of patients with metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated lung adenocarcinoma receiving first-line therapy based on erlotinib combined with bevacizumab are unclear. Here, we sought to analyze the clinical features of this patient group.

METHODS

Data were analyzed for the period from January 2015 to August 2019 for 49 patients with metastatic EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma receiving first-line erlotinib-and-bevacizumab combination therapy from the Linkou and Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospitals.

RESULTS

The combination of erlotinib and bevacizumab showed an 83.7% objective response rate and a 97.9% disease control rate. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 22.0 [95% CI (19.7-22.33)] and 47.6 [95% CI (38.87-56.37)] months, respectively, for all patients. The secondary EGFR-T790M mutation rate in the patients with acquired resistance to the combination was 72.4%. No predictive factor associated with the appearance of secondary EGFR-T790M mutations was found. The most frequent adverse event (AE) caused by the combination therapy was dermatitis (100%), and most of the AEs were manageable and grades 1 and 2.

CONCLUSION

Erlotinib combined with bevacizumab is an effective and safe therapy for untreated metastatic EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma. The combination does not alter secondary EGFR-T790M mutations in patients with acquired resistance and is feasible in real-world clinical practice.

Effect of targeted therapy and immunotherapy on advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancer outcomes in the real world

The evolution of diagnosis and treatment of advanced nonsmall‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has led to increasing the use of targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. The study goal was to assess the effect of molecular testing and the introduction of new therapies on overall survival (OS). All patients with stage IV NSCLC referred to BC Cancer were included in the study. Four 1‐year time cohorts were created based on molecular testing implementation and funded drug availability: C1 baseline (2009), C2 EGFR TKI access (2011), C3 ALK inhibitor access (2015), C4 immunotherapy availability (2017). Baseline demographics, disease characteristics, and systemic therapy details were collected retrospectively. OS was calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using the log‐rank test. There were 3421 patients identified with stage IV NSCLC and 1319 (39%) received systemic therapy. In the four 1‐year time cohorts C1/C2/C3/C4: driver mutation‐targeted treatment increased 1/17/27/34% (of total systemic therapy), as did treatment with any line immunotherapy <1/1/9/38%. Median OS with best supportive care (BSC) was 3.4/3.1/3.2/2.9 m (p = 0.16) and with systemic treatment 9.9/10.9/13.9/15.0 m (p < 0.001). Median OS by treatment exposure was BSC 3.1 m, chemotherapy only 7.3 m, targeted therapy 17.5 m, and immunotherapy 20.7 m. In our real‐world study, following the introduction of targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors, there was a significant improvement in OS in each successive time cohort concordant with advancements in therapeutic options.

An Automated Line-of-Therapy Algorithm for Adults With Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Validation Study Using Blinded Manual Chart Review

BACKGROUND

Extraction of line-of-therapy (LOT) information from electronic health record and claims data is essential for determining longitudinal changes in systemic anticancer therapy in real-world clinical settings.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this retrospective cohort analysis is to validate and refine our previously described open-source LOT algorithm by comparing the output of the algorithm with results obtained through blinded manual chart review.

METHODS

We used structured electronic health record data and clinical documents to identify 500 adult patients treated for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with systemic anticancer therapy from 2011 to mid-2018; we assigned patients to training (n=350) and test (n=150) cohorts, randomly divided proportional to the overall ratio of simple:complex cases (n=254:246). Simple cases were patients who received one LOT and no maintenance therapy; complex cases were patients who received more than one LOT and/or maintenance therapy. Algorithmic changes were performed using the training cohort data, after which the refined algorithm was evaluated against the test cohort.

RESULTS

For simple cases, 16 instances of discordance between the LOT algorithm and chart review prerefinement were reduced to 8 instances postrefinement; in the test cohort, there was no discordance between algorithm and chart review. For complex cases, algorithm refinement reduced the discordance from 68 to 62 instances, with 37 instances in the test cohort. The percentage agreement between LOT algorithm output and chart review for patients who received one LOT was 89% prerefinement, 93% postrefinement, and 93% for the test cohort, whereas the likelihood of precise matching between algorithm output and chart review decreased with an increasing number of unique regimens. Several areas of discordance that arose from differing definitions of LOTs and maintenance therapy could not be objectively resolved because of a lack of precise definitions in the medical literature.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings identify common sources of discordance between the LOT algorithm and clinician documentation, providing the possibility of targeted algorithm refinement.

Real-World Utilization of Target- and Immunotherapies for Lung Cancer: A Scoping Review of Studies Based on Routinely Collected Electronic Healthcare Data

Routinely collected electronic healthcare data (rcEHD) have a tremendous potential for enriching pre-marketing evidence on target- and immunotherapies used to treat lung cancer (LC). A scoping review was performed to provide a structured overview of available rcEHD-based studies on this topic and to support the execution of future research by facilitating access to pertinent literature both for study design and benchmarking. Eligible studies published between 2016 and 2020 in PubMed and ISI Web of Science were searched. Data source and study characteristics, as well as evidence on drug utilization and survival were extracted. Thirty-two studies were included. Twenty-six studies used North American data, while three used European data only. Thirteen studies linked ≥1 data source types among administrative/claims data, cancer registries and medical/health records. Twenty-nine studies retrieved cancer-related information from medical records/cancer registries and 31 studies retrieved information on drug utilization or survival from medical records or administrative/claim data. Most part of studies concerned non-small-cell-LC patients (29 out of 32) while none focused on small-cell-LC. Study cohorts ranged between 85 to 81,983 patients. Only two studies described first-line utilization of immunotherapies. Results from this review will serve as a starting point for the execution of future rcEHD-based studies on innovative LC pharmacotherapies.

Does Biosimilar Bevacizumab Offer Affordable Treatment Options for Cancer Patients in the USA? A Budget Impact Analysis from US Commercial and Medicare Payer Perspectives

BACKGROUND

Bevacizumab remains the most widely used and most thoroughly characterized angiogenesis inhibitor for a range of advanced cancers. Bevacizumab-bvzr (Zirabev®), a biosimilar of bevacizumab, was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which provides a less costly option. This study aimed to evaluate the financial impact of introducing bevacizumab-bvzr from US commercial and Medicare payer perspectives.

METHODS

A Microsoft Excel-based budget impact model was developed over a 5-year time horizon. Target population was patients to be treated with bevacizumab for FDA-approved indications. Drug costs (2020 US$) were based on average sales price and wholesale acquisition cost, accounting for payer-specific reimbursement models and provider settings. Drug dosing and duration were based on prescribing information and pivotal trial publications.

RESULTS

In a hypothetical 10-million-member health plan, 503 and 723 patients were estimated to be treated with bevacizumab in year 1 and year 5, respectively. Assuming an annual market shift of 1.7%, 3.6%, 6.7%, 9.4%, and 11.9% to bevacizumab-bvzr, an annual cost saving of $313,363 ($0.003 per member per month [PMPM]) was estimated for a commercial payer and $92,880 ($0.001 PMPM) for Medicare in year 1. Cumulative 5-year cost savings were $7,030,924 ($0.012 PMPM) for a commercial payer and $4,059,257 ($0.007 PMPM) for Medicare. More than half of the cost savings was attributed to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

The introduction of biosimilar bevacizumab-bvzr was estimated to provide substantial cost savings for US payers, which would allow additional patients access to bevacizumab treatment.

Retrospective analysis of real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer starting first-line systemic therapy in the United Kingdom

BACKGROUND

The treatment landscape for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) has evolved rapidly since immuno-oncology (IO) therapies were introduced. This study used recent data to assess real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in aNSCLC in the United Kingdom.

METHODS

Electronic prescribing records of treatment-naive patients starting first-line (1 L) treatment for aNSCLC between June 2016 and March 2018 (follow-up until December 2018) in the United Kingdom were assessed retrospectively. Patient characteristics and treatment patterns were analyzed descriptively. Outcomes assessed included overall survival (OS), time to treatment discontinuation, time to next treatment, and real-world tumor response.

RESULTS

In all, 1003 patients were evaluated (median age, 68 years [range, 28-93 years]; 53.9% male). Use of 1 L IO monotherapy (0-25.9%) and targeted therapy (11.8-15.9%) increased during the study period, but chemotherapy remained the most common 1 L treatment at all time points (88.2-58.2%). Median OS was 9.5 months (95% CI, 8.8-10.7 months) for all patients, 8.1 months (95% CI, 7.4-8.9 months) with chemotherapy, 14.0 months (95% CI, 10.7-20.6 months) with IO monotherapy, and 20.2 months (95% CI, 16.0-30.5 months) with targeted therapy. In the 28.6% of patients who received second-line treatment, IO monotherapy was the most common drug class (used in 51.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

Although use of 1 L IO monotherapy for aNSCLC increased in the United Kingdom during the study period, most patients received 1 L chemotherapy. An OS benefit for first-line IO monotherapy vs chemotherapy was observed but was numerically smaller than that reported in clinical trials. Targeted therapy was associated with the longest OS, highlighting the need for improved treatment options for tumors lacking targetable mutations.

Defining treatment regimens and lines of therapy using real-world data in oncology

Retrospective observational research relies on databases that do not routinely record lines of therapy or reasons for treatment change. Standardized approaches to estimate lines of therapy were developed and evaluated in this study. A number of rules were developed, assumptions varied and macros developed to apply to large datasets. Results were investigated in an iterative process to refine line of therapy algorithms in three different cancers (lung, colorectal and gastric). Three primary factors were evaluated and included in the estimation of lines of therapy in oncology: defining a treatment regimen, addition/removal of drugs and gap periods. Algorithms and associated Statistical Analysis Software (SAS®) macros for line of therapy identification are provided to facilitate and standardize the use of real-world databases for oncology research.

Data Integration to Improve Real-world Health Outcomes Research for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in the United States: Descriptive and Qualitative Exploration

Background

The integration of data from disparate sources could help alleviate data insufficiency in real-world studies and compensate for the inadequacies of single data sources and short-duration, small sample size studies while improving the utility of data for research.

Objective

This study aims to describe and evaluate a process of integrating data from several complementary sources to conduct health outcomes research in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The integrated data set is also used to describe patient demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and mortality rates.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study integrated data from 4 sources: administrative claims from the HealthCore Integrated Research Database, clinical data from a Cancer Care Quality Program (CCQP), clinical data from abstracted medical records (MRs), and mortality data from the US Social Security Administration. Patients with lung cancer who initiated second-line (2L) therapy between November 01, 2015, and April 13, 2018, were identified in the claims and CCQP data. Eligible patients were 18 years or older and received atezolizumab, docetaxel, erlotinib, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, pemetrexed, or ramucirumab in the 2L setting. The main analysis cohort included patients with claims data and data from at least one additional data source (CCQP or MR). Patients without integrated data (claims only) were reported separately. Descriptive and univariate statistics were reported.

Results

Data integration resulted in a main analysis cohort of 2195 patients with NSCLC; 2106 patients had CCQP and 407 patients had MR data. The claims-only cohort included 931 eligible patients. For the main analysis cohort, the mean age was 62.1 (SD 9.27) years, 48.56% (1066/2195) were female, the median length of follow-up was 6.8 months, and for 37.77% (829/2195), death was observed. For the claims-only cohort, the mean age was 66.6 (SD 12.69) years, 52.1% (485/931) were female, the median length of follow-up was 8.6 months, and for 29.3% (273/931), death was observed. The most frequent 2L treatment was immunotherapy (1094/2195, 49.84%), followed by platinum-based regimens (472/2195, 21.50%) and single-agent chemotherapy (441/2195, 20.09%); mean duration of 2L therapy was 5.6 (SD 4.9, median 4) months. We describe challenges and learnings from the data integration process, and the benefits of the integrated data set, which includes a richer set of clinical and outcome data to supplement the utilization metrics available in administrative claims.

Conclusions

The management of patients with NSCLC requires care from a multidisciplinary team, leading to a lack of a single aggregated data source in real-world settings. The availability of integrated clinical data from MRs, health plan claims, and other sources of clinical care may improve the ability to assess emerging treatments.

Real-World Costs of Adverse Events in First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common form of lung cancer in the United States. Immunotherapies and cytotoxic chemotherapies used to treat advanced NSCLC carry a substantial risk of adverse events (AEs), but real-world data on the incidence and costs associated with the unique AE profiles of these treatments are sparse.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the AE incidence and costs among patients initiating non-driver mutation-targeted first-line therapy for metastatic NSCLC (mNSCLC) in clinical practice.

METHODS

This was a retrospective administrative claims study conducted among commercial and Medicare Advantage health plan members who initiated first-line, nontargeted systemic anti-NSCLC therapy between January 1, 2008, and February 28, 2018. Patients were assigned to mutually exclusive treatment cohorts (cytotoxic chemotherapy [CHEM], immuno-oncology agents [IO], or immuno-oncology + cytotoxic chemotherapy [IO-CHEM]) and were observed from the index date (start of first-line therapy) through the earliest of health plan disenrollment, death, or March 31, 2018. AE incidence rates and associated health care costs were measured from the index date through the earliest of the start of a new therapy, 180 days after the end of first-line therapy, or the end of the study period. The factors influencing whether patients incurred high AE-related health care costs were assessed using multivariable models adjusted for patient demographic and clinical characteristics.

RESULTS

The final study population (mean [SD] age 68.6 [9.5] years, 53.9% male) included 8,818 in the CHEM cohort, 482 in the IO cohort, and 412 in the IO-CHEM cohort. Overall, 74.4% had at least 1 AE during follow-up. The AE incidence rate was lowest for the IO cohort, with incidence rate ratios (95% CI) of 1.4 (1.3-1.6) for the CHEM cohort and 1.4 (1.2-1.6) for the IO-CHEM cohort. Mean AE-related costs were lowest for the IO cohort ($16,319) and highest for the CHEM cohort ($23,009; P < 0.001). In the multivariable analysis, the odds of incurring any AE costs were similar for the IO and IO-CHEM cohorts compared with the CHEM cohort (OR = 0.82; P = 0.135 and OR = 0.98; P = 0.888, respectively). Among patients who incurred AE costs, those in the IO cohort were less likely than those in the CHEM cohort to have high costs (OR = 0.60; P = 0.030); the difference between the IO-CHEM and CHEM cohorts was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Among real-world patients initiating nontargeted first-line therapy for mNSCLC, those receiving immunotherapy experienced fewer AEs and had lower total AE-related costs than those treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Immunotherapy-treated patients were no more likely than chemotherapy-treated patients to incur AE-related costs and were less likely to have high AE costs if they incurred any at all. These findings indicate that immunotherapy-related AEs are not a differentiating factor in cost of care for this patient population in clinical practice.

DISCLOSURES

This study was sponsored by AstraZeneca. Ryan is an employee of AstraZeneca. Engel-Nitz, Johnson, and Bunner are employees of Optum, which was contracted by AstraZeneca to conduct this study, and shareholders in UnitedHealth Group. Engel-Nitz has also worked on cancer-related studies for which Optum received funding from Bayer AG, Clovis Oncology, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Exact Sciences, Janssen, and Novartis. Johnson worked on cancer-related studies for which Optum received funding from Eli Lilly, Medtronic, Sanofi, and UnitedHealthcare. Bunner has worked on cancer-related studies for which Optum received funding from Celgene and Incyte.

Long-Term Survival of Patients with Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer over Five Decades

Objective

Novel therapeutics and supportive care improved outcomes for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) patients. Major advances over the past five decades include the introduction of combination chemotherapy, small molecules targeting mutant proteins, especially EGFR, and more recently immunotherapy. We aim to document real-world long-term survival over the past five decades.

Methods

Survival statistics were extracted from the Survival, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for mNSCLC patients during 1973-2015. Two- and five-year survival (2yS and 5yS) were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and proportional hazard models.

Results

The study population consisted of 280,655mNSCLC patients diagnosed during 1973-2015. Longer survival was seen in younger, female, married, Asian/Pacific Islander race, adenocarcinoma, lower grade, more recent diagnosis, higher income, and chemotherapy-treated patients. 2yS increased during the study period from 2.6% to 12.9%, and 5yS increased from 0.7% to 3.2%. 2yS of patients <50 years of age rose from 2.1% to 22.8%, and their 5yS rose from 0.7% to 6.2%. 2yS of adenocarcinoma patients improved from 2.7% to 16.2%, and their improved 5yS from 1.1% to 3.9%.

Conclusions

Between 1973 and 2015, there was a dramatic improvement in long-term survival, with an approximately five-fold increase in both 2yS and 5yS. Nonetheless, absolute numbers of long-term survivors remained low, with less than 4% living 5 years. This provides a baseline to compare long-term outcomes seen in the current generation of clinical trials.

Budget impact of capmatinib for adults with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer harboring a MET exon 14 skipping mutation in the United States

AIMS

To estimate the budget impact of adding capmatinib, the first FDA approved MET inhibitor, to a US commercial or Medicare health plan for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) whose tumors have a mutation that leads to MET exon 14 (METex14) skipping.

METHODS

Target population size was estimated using published epidemiology data. Clinical data were obtained from the GEOMETRY mono-1 capmatinib trial and published trials. Treatments in the market mix included crizotinib, pembrolizumab, ramucirumab, and chemotherapy. Uptake of capmatinib and testing rates were based on market research. All costs (drug acquisition and administration, pre-progression, progression, terminal care, adverse event, and testing) were estimated based on public sources (2020 USD).

RESULTS

The number of patients eligible for capmatinib in the first three years was estimated to be 2-3 in a hypothetical 1 million member commercial plan and 34-44 in a hypothetical 1 million member Medicare plan each year. The estimated total budget impact ranged from $9,695 to $67,725 for a commercial plan and $141,350 to $985,695 for Medicare. With capmatinib included, a marginal per member per month budget impact was estimated (commercial: $0.0008 to $0.0056; Medicare: $0.0118 to $0.0821). Capmatinib inclusion resulted in lower medical costs (commercial: -$0.0003 to -$0.0007; Medicare: -$0.0037 to -$0.0106), partially offsetting increased drug costs ($0.0011 to $0.0064; $0.0154 to $0.0928, respectively), and were primarily driven by reductions in progression and terminal care costs (-$0.0003 to -$0.0009; -$0.0037 to -$0.0125, respectively). The results were most sensitive to capmatinib market share, capmatinib price, and treatment duration.

LIMITATIONS

Certain assumptions were applied to the model to account for inputs with limited evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

The estimated budget impact of including capmatinib for mNSCLC with a METex14 skipping mutation is minimal, and the increased drug costs were partially offset by savings in AEs, and progression-related and terminal care costs.

Treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer initiating first-line treatment in the US community oncology setting: a real-world retrospective observational study

Purpose

Treatments for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have evolved to include targeted and immuno-oncology therapies, which have demonstrated clinical benefits in clinical trials. However, few real-world studies have evaluated these treatments in the first-line setting.

Methods

Adult patients with advanced NSCLC who initiated first-line treatment with chemotherapy, targeted therapies (TT), or immuno-oncology–based regimens in the US Oncology Network (USON) between March 1, 2015, and August 1, 2018, were included and followed up through February 1, 2019. Data were sourced from structured fields of USON electronic health records. Patient and treatment characteristics were assessed descriptively, with Kaplan-Meier methods used to evaluate time-to-event outcomes, including time to treatment discontinuation (TTD) and overall survival (OS). Adjusted Cox regression analyses and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were performed to control for covariates that may have affected treatment selection and outcomes.

Results

Of 7746 patients, 75.6% received first-line systemic chemotherapy, 11.7% received immuno-oncology monotherapies, 8.5% received TT, and 4.2% received immuno-oncology combination regimens. Patients who received immuno-oncology monotherapies had the longest median TTD (3.5 months; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8–4.2) and OS (19.9 months; 95% CI, 16.6–24.1). On the basis of multivariable Cox regression and IPTW, immuno-oncology monotherapy was associated with reduced risk of death and treatment discontinuation relative to other treatments.

Conclusion

These results suggest that real-world outcomes in this community oncology setting improved with the introduction of immuno-oncology therapies. However, clinical benefits are limited in certain subgroups and tend to be reduced compared with clinical trial observations.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00432-020-03414-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

First and Second Line Chemotherapeutic Regimens for Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinomas - The Efficacy of Platinum, Non-Platinum and Combination Therapy: A Literature Review

Non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) account for a major part of all lung cancer diagnoses. The current literature review is aimed to analyze the varied chemotherapeutic treatment regimens available and to provide a standard for their use in the present and future scenarios. The current literature review focuses on platinum, non-platinum and combination therapeutic modalities, in the first and second line setting. The review also ensures that docetaxel and/or gemcitabine is a part of the study. A PubMed search for NSCLC identified 70,077 articles. A total of 36 research articles were obtained following the application of keywords and inclusion/exclusion criteria to narrow down our search to meet with the research objective. These articles consider NSCLC and chemotherapeutic treatment modalities as its primary endpoint. These 36 articles included 15 randomized clinical trials, five randomized control trials, five retrospective cohort studies, one case-control study, six review articles and four observational studies. Our analysis shows that there is an increasing potential for the use of non-platinum based drugs in the clinical setting with an efficacy that is at par with that of platinum-based treatment modalities. In fact, the studies have proven a greater advantage with the use of combination therapy (non-platinum + platinum), which can be readily applied as an alternative in the clinical setting while the use of non-platinum drugs (other than docetaxel) as a monotherapy or in combination with other non-platinum based drugs does require further research.

The prediction potential of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio for the therapeutic outcomes of programmed death receptor-1/programmed death ligand 1 inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer patients: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors have been demonstrated to improve the prognosis of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with chemotherapy. However, there were still some non-responders. Thus, how to effectively screen the responder may be an important issue. Recent studies revealed the immune-related indicator, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), may predict the therapeutic effects of anti-PD1/PD-L1 antibodies; however, the results were controversial. This study was to re-evaluate the prognostic potential of NLR for NSCLC patients receiving PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors by performing a meta-analysis.

METHODS

Eligible studies were identified by searching online databases of PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library. The predictive values of NLR for overall survival, (OS), progression free survival (PFS) and overall response rate (ORR) were estimated by hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

Twenty-four studies involving 2196 patients were included. The pooled analysis demonstrated that elevated NLR before PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor treatment was a predictor of poor OS (HR = 2.17; 95% CI: 1.64 - 2.87, P < .001), PFS (HR = 1.54; 95% CI: 1.34 - 1.78, P < .001) and low ORR (HR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.44 - 0.95, P = .027) in NSCLC patients. Subgroup analysis revealed the predictive ability of NLR for OS and PFS was not changed by ethnicity, sample size, cut-off, HR source, study design or inhibitor type (except the combined anti-PD-L1 group); while its association with ORR was only significant when the cut-off value was less than 5 and the studies were prospectively designed.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest patients with lower NLR may benefit from the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors to prolong their survival period.

Much has changed in the last decade except overall survival: A Swiss single center analysis of treatment and survival in patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Molecular therapies for cancers with targetable driver mutations and immunotherapies have revolutionized treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) during the last decade. International treatment guidelines began integrating targeted therapies in 2009 and immunotherapies in 2015. The aim of this study was to examine whether the benefits described for these new therapies in pivotal phase III trials have been translated to a real world patient population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from all consecutive patients diagnosed with stage IV NSCLC diagnosed at a community hospital in Switzerland between 2007 and 2018 were analyzed. Three groups of patients were compared, namely patients diagnosed before 2009 (group 1), between 2009 and 2015 (introduction of targeted therapies, group 2) and after 2015 (introduction of immunotherapies, group 3). The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Time to treatment failure was a secondary outcome. Both endpoints were estimated using the Kaplan Meyer method and compared by log-rank test.

RESULTS

408 patients were included. Patient characteristics were similar in the three groups. Median OS in groups 1, 2, and 3 was 9.8 (95% CI, 6.2 to 13.4), 9.9 (95% CI, 7.6 to 12.1) and 8.6 (95% CI, 6.6 to 10.5) months, respectively (p = 0.5). Across groups patients treated with targeted- and immunotherapies had a significantly better outcome than those treated with chemotherapy or best supportive care (p<0.001). Nevertheless, OS remained unchanged between groups despite adequate molecular testing and integration of targeted- and immunotherapies. Over time, the patient population got more morbid with respect to tumor burden (p = 0.02) and co-morbidities (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

While selected subgroups of patients may benefit from new therapies, outcome in this unselected population of patients with stage IV NSCLC treated in daily practice has not improved over the last decade.

Vinorelbine in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Real-World Data From a Single-Institution Experience

The use of vinorelbine as a single agent or in combination regimens in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with satisfactory clinical activity. However, the role of vinorelbine-based chemotherapy in chemonaive locally advanced unresectable or metastatic NSCLC patients, according to real-world treatment patterns, has still not been widely explored. Eighty-one patients treated at a single institution were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty-seven received standard first-line single-agent vinorelbine, and 44 received vinorelbine plus platinum drugs, based on physician’s choice; 61.7% were older than 70 years, and 60.5% were affected by ≥2 comorbidities. Sixty-three patients were evaluable for objective response: 22% achieved partial response and 41% stable disease. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.4 months. A benefit in PFS was observed in patients treated with combinations vs. single-agent vinorelbine (6.7 vs. 3.5 months, p = 0.043). Median overall survival (OS) was 10.4 months without a statistically significant difference between treatments (12.4 vs. 7.5 months). In 55 stage IV patients, OS was positively correlated with combination regimens, M1a stage, or ≤2 metastatic lesions. Grade 3–4 toxicity occurred in 33% of patients, and dose reduction in 11%. A statistically significant higher incidence of toxicity was observed in patients receiving combinations, in women, in patients younger than 75 years, or patients with metastases. In this real-word analysis, we confirmed the efficacy and tolerability of vinorelbine as a single agent or combined with platinums in patients usually underrepresented in controlled clinical trials. Single-agent vinorelbine may represent a suitable option in elderly or unfit NSCLC patients and warrants investigation as a potential drug candidate for immunochemotherapy combination regimens.

Real-world treatment and survival of patients with advanced non-small cell lung Cancer: a German retrospective data analysis

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to describe the real-world treatment and overall survival (OS) of German patients with a diagnosis of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC), and to explore factors associated with the real-world mortality risk.

METHODS

This was a retrospective German claims data analysis of incident aNSCLC patients. Data were available from 01/01/2011 until 31/12/2016. Identification of eligible patients took place between 01/01/2012-31/12/2015, to allow for at least 1-year pre-index and follow-up periods. Inpatient and outpatient mutation test procedures after aNSCLC diagnosis were observed. Further, prescribed treatments and OS since first (incident) aNSCLC diagnosis and start of respective treatment lines were described both for all patients and presumed EGFR/ALK/ROS-1-positive patients. Factors associated with OS were analyzed in multivariable Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

Overall, 1741 aNSCLC patients were observed (mean age: 66·97 years, female: 29·87%). The mutation test rate within this population was 26·31% (n = 458), 26·6% of these patients (n = 122) received a targeted treatment and were assumed to have a positive EGFR/ALK/ROS-1 test result. Most often prescribed treatments were pemetrexed monotherapy as 1 L (21·23% for all and 11·11% for mutation-positive patients) and erlotinib monotherapy as 2 L (25·83%/38·54%). Median OS since incident diagnosis was 351 days in all and 571 days in mutation-positive patients. In a multivariable Cox regression analysis, higher age, a stage IV disease, a higher number of chronic drugs in the pre-index period and no systemic therapy increased the risk of early death since first aNSCLC diagnosis. On the other hand, female gender and treatment with therapies other than chemotherapy were associated with a lower risk of early death.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the introduction of new treatments, the real-world survival prognosis for aNSCLC patients remains poor if measured based on an unselected real-world population of patients. Still, the majority of German aNSCLC patients do not receive a mutation test.

Cost–effectiveness of pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy as first-line treatment in PD-L1-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in the USA

Aim: This analysis aimed to evaluate the cost–effectiveness of pembrolizumab monotherapy as first-line treatment in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients with a programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) tumor proportion score ≥1% from a US payer perspective. Materials & methods: A partitioned survival model was developed using efficacy and safety data from the KEYNOTE-042 trial and projected over 20 years. Costs accounted for treatment, toxicity and disease management. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost–effectiveness ratios were reported. Results: Pembrolizumab resulted in an expected gain of 0.60 life years and 0.49 QALYs compared with platinum-based chemotherapy. The incremental cost–effectiveness ratio was US$130,155/QALY. Conclusion: Pembrolizumab is projected to be cost-effective compared with platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with PD-L1 tumor proportion score ≥1%.

Temporal phenotyping by mining healthcare data to derive lines of therapy for cancer

Lines of therapy (LOT) derived from real-world healthcare data not only depict real-world cancer treatment sequences, but also help define patient phenotypes along the course of disease progression and therapeutic interventions. The sequence of prescribed anticancer therapies can be defined as temporal phenotyping resulting from changes in morphological (tumor staging), biochemical (biomarker testing), physiological (disease progression), and behavioral (physician prescribing and patient adherence) parameters. We introduce a novel methodology that is a two-part approach: 1) create an algorithm to derive patient-level LOT and 2) aggregate LOT information via clustering to derive temporal phenotypes, in conjunction with visualization techniques, within a large insurance claims dataset. We demonstrated the methodology using two examples: metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic melanoma. First, we generated a longitudinal patient cohort for each cancer type and applied a set of rules to derive patient-level LOT. Then the LOT algorithm outputs for each cancer type were visualized using Sankey plots and K-means clusters based on durations of LOT and of gaps in therapy between LOT. We found differential distribution of temporal phenotypes across clusters. Our approach to identify temporal patient phenotypes can increase the quality and utility of analyses conducted using claims datasets, with the potential for application to multiple oncology disease areas across diverse healthcare data sources. The understanding of LOT as defining patients' temporal phenotypes can contribute to continuous health learning of disease progression and its interaction with different treatment pathways; in addition, this understanding can provide new insights that can be applied by tailoring treatment sequences for the patient phenotypes who will benefit.

Cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy and pembrolizumab monotherapy in the first-line treatment of squamous non-small-cell lung cancer in the US

Objective: To describe the cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel; P + C) in metastatic, squamous, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in the US. Methods: A model comparing P + C versus C alone is developed utilizing partitioned survival analysis. Primary clinical efficacy, treatment utilization, health utility and safety data are derived from the KEYNOTE-407 trial and projected over 20 years. Costs for drugs and non-drug disease management are also incorporated. Additionally, the cost-effectiveness of P + C vs. pembrolizumab monotherapy (P) is evaluated via an indirect treatment comparison, for patient subgroups with PD-L1 Tumor Proportion Score (TPS) ≥ 50% and 1-49%. Results: Overall, P + C is projected to increase life expectancy by 1.95 years vs. C (3.86 versus 1.91). The resultant ICER is $86,293/QALY. In patients with PD-L1 ≥ 50%, 1-49% and <1 the corresponding incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) are $99,777/QALY, $85,986/QALY and $87,507/QALY, respectively. Versus P, in the PD-L1 ≥ 50% subgroup, P + C appears cost saving; however, this result should be interpreted with caution as there is considerable uncertainty in the relative efficacy of these comparators. Conclusions: Across all eligible patients, the addition of pembrolizumab to chemotherapy is projected to approximately double life expectancy, yielding an extension to a point not previously seen in metastatic squamous NSCLC. Overall, and within all relevant PD-L1 subgroups, use of P + C yields an ICER below $100,000/QALY, and can be a cost-effective first-line treatment for eligible metastatic squamous NSCLC patients for whom chemotherapy is currently administered. In the PD-L1 ≥ 50% subgroup, additional follow-up within trials of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy and pembrolizumab monotherapy are needed to better define cost-effectiveness between these comparators.

Economic burden of chemotherapy-treated recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in France: real-world data from the permanent sample of national health insurance beneficiaries

Aims: Overall survival (OS) of patients with recurrent or metastatic (R/M) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is extremely poor. New therapeutic options emerge but need to establish their economic value. The objective was to describe the direct and related costs of R/M SCCHN in France. Materials and methods: We selected all adult patients treated with chemotherapy for R/M SCCHN between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2014 from the permanent sample of the French national health insurance database (EGB). Data were analyzed from the index date (first chemotherapy) until patients' death or 31 December 2015. "Treatment period" and "end-of-life" (EoL) (from last chemotherapy until death) were distinguished. Costs included all hospitalizations for SCCHN and ambulatory care. Costs of hospitalized and non-hospitalized adverse events (AEs) were estimated. Results: Among 267 patients identified, 85% were men, 44% had metastases at the index date and the mean age was 62.0 years (±9.9). The most common tumor location was oropharynx (29%) but 39% of patients had multiple locations. Median OS was 9.3 (95% CI: 7.9-11.8) months for the overall population. The average total direct cost per patient was €49,954, broken down into €32,908 (95% CI: 29,525-36,290) for hospitalizations and €17,047 (14,941-19,152) for ambulatory care. Main cost drivers were drug acquisition and administration (€14,538) during the treatment period (209 days on average) and palliative care (€3,750) during the EoL period (125 days). Regarding related costs, around 12% of patients received disability pensions (€1,397 per patient [624-2,171]) and sick leave payments (€1,592 [888-2,297]). "Metabolism and nutrition disorders" and "Infections and infestations" were the most expensive hospitalized AEs (€1,513 and €1,180 per patient, respectively). Febrile neutropenia was the most expensive non-hospitalized AE (€766 per patient). Conclusions: This analysis of real-world data confirms the poor prognosis of patients with R/M SCCHN and provides cost data for future economic evaluations.

I-O Optimise: a novel multinational real-world research platform in thoracic malignancies

Aim: To describe I-O Optimise, a multinational program providing real-world insights into lung cancer management. Materials & methods: Real-world data source selection for I-O Optimise followed a structured approach focused on population coverage, key variable capture, continuous/consistent data availability, record duration and data latency, and database expertise. Results: As of 31 October 2018, seven real-world data sources were included in I-O Optimise, providing data on characteristics, treatment patterns and clinical outcomes from more than 45,000 patients/year with non-small-cell lung cancer, small-cell lung cancer and mesothelioma across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Conclusion: The ongoing I-O Optimise initiative has the potential to provide a broad, robust and dynamic research platform to continually address numerous research objectives in the lung cancer arena.

First-line pemetrexed/carboplatin or cisplatin/bevacizumab compared with paclitaxel/carboplatin/bevacizumab in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer with wild-type driver genes: A real-world study in China

BACKGROUND

The study was conducted to compare the effectiveness and safety of pemetrexed/carboplatin or cisplatin/bevacizumab (PemPBev) and paclitaxel/carboplatin/bevacizumab (PacCBev) as first-line therapy for advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NS-NSCLC) patients with wild-type driver genes in a real-world setting.

METHODS

We retrospectively collected the medical records of advanced NS-NSCLC patients with wild-type driver genes administered first-line PemPBev or PacCBev therapy at Shanghai Chest Hospital between January 2014 and June 2016, and analyzed the differences in survival outcomes, efficacy, and safety between PemPBev and PacCBev treatment.

RESULTS

A total of 390 patients were included in our analysis: 249 in the PemPBev group and 141 in the PacCBev group. Patients administered PemPBev experienced significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to those administered PacCBev (PFS 7.5 vs. 6.2 months, hazard ratio [HR] 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53-0.84, P < 0.001; OS:18.6 vs. 16.0 months, HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.52-0.90, P = 0.002). The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were similar between the groups (ORR 21.7% vs. 30.5%, P = 0.053; DCR 69.1% vs. 67.4%, P = 0.728). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the groups (64.7% vs. 68.8%; P = 0.407), but the incidence of peripheral neuropathy in the PacCBev group was higher than in the PemPBev group (7.8% vs. 2.4%; P = 0.012).

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that for advanced NS-NSCLC patients with wild-type driver genes, first-line PemPBev might be a better treatment option compared to PacCBev.

Disparities in Systemic Treatment Use in Advanced-stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Source of Health Insurance

BACKGROUND

Management of advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has changed significantly over the past two decades with the development of numerous systemic treatments, including targeted therapies. However, a high proportion of advanced-stage patients are untreated. The role that health insurance plays in receipt of systemic treatments is unclear.

METHODS

Using California Cancer Registry data (2012-2014), we developed multivariable Poisson regression models to assess the independent effect of health insurance type on systemic treatment utilization among patients with stage IV NSCLC. Systemic treatment information was manually abstracted from treatment text fields.

RESULTS

A total of 17,310 patients were evaluated. Patients with Medicaid/other public insurance were significantly less likely to receive any systemic treatments [risk ratio (RR), 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75-0.82], bevacizumab combinations (RR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.45-0.71), or tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.60-0.82) compared with the privately insured. Patients with Medicare or dual Medicare-Medicaid insurance were not significantly different from the privately insured in their likelihood of receiving systemic treatments.

CONCLUSIONS

Substantial disparities in the use of systemic treatments for stage IV NSCLC exist by source of health insurance in California. Patients with Medicaid/other public insurance were significantly less likely to receive systemic treatments compared with their privately insured counterparts.

IMPACT

Source of health insurance influences care received. Further research is warranted to better understand barriers to treatment that patients with Medicaid face.

A text-mining approach to obtain detailed treatment information from free-text fields in population-based cancer registries: A study of non-small cell lung cancer in California

Background

Population-based cancer registries have treatment information for all patients making them an excellent resource for population-level monitoring. However, specific treatment details, such as drug names, are contained in a free-text format that is difficult to process and summarize. We assessed the accuracy and efficiency of a text-mining algorithm to identify systemic treatments for lung cancer from free-text fields in the California Cancer Registry.

Methods

The algorithm used Perl regular expressions in SAS 9.4 to search for treatments in 24,845 free-text records associated with 17,310 patients in California diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer between 2012 and 2014. Our algorithm categorized treatments into six groups that align with National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. We compared results to a manual review (gold standard) of the same records.

Results

Percent agreement ranged from 91.1% to 99.4%. Ranges for other measures were 0.71–0.92 (Kappa), 74.3%-97.3% (sensitivity), 92.4%-99.8% (specificity), 60.4%-96.4% (positive predictive value), and 92.9%-99.9% (negative predictive value). The text-mining algorithm used one-sixth of the time required for manual review.

Conclusion

SAS-based text mining of free-text data can accurately detect systemic treatments administered to patients and save considerable time compared to manual review, maximizing the utility of the extant information in population-based cancer registries for comparative effectiveness research.

Real-World Treatment Patterns, Overall Survival, and Occurrence and Costs of Adverse Events Associated With Second-Line Therapies for Medicare Patients With Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

INTRODUCTION

Real-world data on current treatment practices for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are needed to understand the place in therapy and potential economic impact of newer therapies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This retrospective cohort study identified patients ≥ 65 years old in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database with first-time diagnosis of stage IIIB/IV NSCLC from 2007-2011 who received second-line therapy after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy from 2007 through mid-2013. Second-line regimens, health care resource use, adverse events (AEs), and associated costs were analyzed descriptively. Overall survival was determined by Kaplan-Meier test. Costs were adjusted to 2013 US dollars.

RESULTS

We identified 4033 patients with advanced NSCLC who received second-line therapy (47% of those who received first-line platinum-based chemotherapy). Mean (SD) age was 73 (5) years, 2246 (56%) were male; 1134 (28%) and 2899 (72%) had squamous and nonsquamous NSCLC, respectively. The 4 most common second-line regimens were pemetrexed (22%), docetaxel (12%), carboplatin/paclitaxel (11%), and gemcitabine (7%). Median overall survival from second-line therapy initiation was 7.3 months (95% confidence interval, 7.0-7.7). Dyspnea and anemia were the most common AEs of interest, affecting 29% and 26% of patients, respectively; atypical pneumonia was associated with the highest AE-related costs (mean, $5339). The mean total per-patient-per-month cost was $10,885; AE-related per-patient-per-month costs totaled $1036 (10%). Costs were highest for pemetrexed-treated patients.

CONCLUSION

These real-world data illustrate the variety of second-line regimens, poor prognosis, and high cost of second-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced NSCLC treated before the approval of immunotherapies for these patients.