Real-world effectiveness of brentuximab vedotin versus physicians' choice chemotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma following autologous stem cell transplantation in the United Kingdom and Germany

This retrospective study compared effectiveness of (brentuximab vedotin) BV to other chemotherapies in patients with rrHL following an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Data originated from a medical chart review of patients treated in real-world clinical settings at 50 sites in the United Kingdom and Germany. Inverse probability of treatment weights based on propensity scores were used to adjust for differences in baseline characteristics between treatment groups. Among 312 rrHL patients included, 196 received BV and 116 received physicians' choice chemotherapy. Median PFS was significantly longer (27.0 months vs. 13.4 months; p = .0144) and 12-month OS survival greater (78.1% vs. 65.9%; p = .0129) with BV compared to chemotherapy. Documented adverse events included leukopenia (12.8%) and peripheral neuropathy (8.7%) for BV and leukopenia (12.1%), anemia (5.2%) and diarrhea (5.2%) for chemotherapy. In this real-world study, rrHL patients treated for relapse after ASCT with BV had longer median PFS and 12-month OS than patients receiving chemotherapy.

Brentuximab vedotin in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma who are Ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant: A Germany and United Kingdom retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate licensed for the treatment of relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (rrHL) following autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) or at least two prior therapies when ASCT or multiagent chemotherapy is not an option. The objective of this study was to describe real-world outcomes with BV in patients with rrHL considered ASCT ineligible or who refuse ASCT.

METHODS

This was a retrospective medical chart review study that enrolled patients ≥18 years old who were initially diagnosed with HL between January 1, 2008 and June 30, 2014, considered ASCT ineligible, and treated in routine care with BV for progressive disease after multidrug chemotherapy regimens. Clinical outcomes included best response to treatment, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events.

RESULTS

A total of 136 patients were included, with a median age of 70 years at initial HL diagnosis. The most common reasons for ASCT ineligibility were comorbidities (74%) and age (57%). Overall response rate was 74%, and PFS and OS were 15.1 and 17.8 months, respectively. Peripheral neuropathy was observed in 9.6% of patients.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study provide real-world evidence on the feasibility and effectiveness of BV in elderly or frail ASCT-ineligible patients with rrHL in a real-world setting.

Comparing hospital-based resource utilization and costs for prostate cancer patients with and without bone metastases

BACKGROUND

Since 2010, several new treatments for prostate cancer (PCa), which have entered the US market, are poised to have an impact on treatment approaches; however, there is a paucity of evidence with respect to treatment patterns and costs. As new treatment patterns emerge, it will be imperative to understand treatment patterns and costs of care prior to the advent of novel treatments.

OBJECTIVE

As the PCa treatment landscape is evolving, this study sought to compare the hospital-based utilization and costs in two cohorts of patients with PCa: patients with bone metastases (w/BM) and patients without bone metastases (w/oBM). Comparisons were also made for patients with inpatient versus outpatient encounters.

METHODS

Patients in the Premier Perspective Database, a US hospital database, between January 2006 and December 2010, treated in an inpatient or outpatient setting for PCa (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision [ICD-9] diagnosis codes 185, 233.4) were included. Patients were required to be ≥40 years of age with no additional cancers. Patients were put into cohorts on the basis of the presence of bone metastases (ICD-9 code 198.5 or use of zoledronic acid or pamidronate disodium). Utilization of PCa-related treatments was compared, controlling for age, race, hospital type, payer type, bed size, and admission source and type. Differences in treatments were assessed utilizing logistic regression, while differences in costs were analyzed using gamma-distributed generalized linear models with a log-link function. All costs are reported in US$ 2010.

RESULTS

There were 23,747 hospitalizations for men w/BM (13,716 inpatient; 10,031 outpatient) and 187,708 hospitalizations (74,435 inpatient; 113,258 outpatient) for men w/oBM. The mean length of stay for men w/BM was 4 days compared with 2 days for men w/oBM (P < 0.0001). Overall, the mean cost per encounter was US$9,728 in men with w/BM and US$7,405 in men w/oBM (P = 0.0006). For inpatient stays, the mean cost per encounter was US$14,145 for men w/BM and US$11,944 for men w/oBM. For outpatient visits, the mean cost per encounter was US$3,688 for men w/BM and US$4,422 for men w/oBM. Men w/BM received hormone therapy (44.3%) and secondary hormone therapy (46.4%) most often, while men w/oBM received radiation (48.8%) and surgery (31.9%) most often.

CONCLUSION

Costs and utilization of PCa-related treatments vary on the basis of the presence of metastases and treatment setting (inpatient vs. outpatient).