Cost of care in EGFR mutant versus wild-type non-small cell lung cancer.

Abstract

e21084 Background: Lung cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, as well as the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Approximately 84% of all lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Most are diagnosed at an advanced stage when the prognosis is poorest. EGFR is the most common driver mutation in NSCLC with an incidence ranging from 20% in Caucasians, and up to 50% in Asians. Oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are the preferred treatment for EGFR mutant cancers as they provide better outcomes and lower toxicity than chemotherapy (Ch) or immunotherapy (ICI). Therefore, it is imperative to analyze NSCLC patients for these important driver mutations. Cancer care is expensive with the treatments and attendant costs for administration and management. We sought to compare cost of care (COC) in EGFR mutant vs wild-type NSCLC as the treatments and known toxicities differ markedly. Methods: We performed a retrospective COC analysis of NSCLC using claims data from the local BCBS affiliate Highmark (HM) members. Patients were selected based on NSCLC diagnosis codes between October 2016 and September 2018. COC was calculated from claims data to compare treatment of driver mutant NSCLC with targeted therapy versus treatment of wild-type NSCLC with ICI and/or ChT. Data used to compare COC analysis included overall medical costs defined as all medical claims incurred by a patient following start of respective therapy, oncology related medical claims, therapy costs, costs related to emergency room visits and tissue biopsies. Overall medical costs, oncology related costs and therapy costs were measured in per member per month (PMPM). We extracted cost related data at 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months into treatment. Results: Patients treated with ICI and/or ChT incurred $1000-2000 more in PMPM total medical costs than patients treated with targeted therapy. Additionally, chemoimmunotherapy patients were found to have a 5% higher emergency room admission rate along with a longer median length of stay of 1/3 day, when compared to targeted therapy patients. ICI and/or ChT patients showed a 20% higher rate of tissue biopsy and a 5-10% higher rate of repeat tissue biopsy which incurred an additional $300-$400 expense for chemoimmunotherapy patients. Conclusions: The use of targeted treatment with TKIs in EGFR mutant NSCLC patients is more cost effective than ICI and/or ChT in wild-type NSCLC. Routine screening of lung cancer patients with molecular profiling is essential, as identification of such critical driver mutations can alter the treatment plan to be more efficient, providing better care at lower cost.