Real-world, population-based study of treatments, survival and healthcare use in advanced urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

Abstract

e16538 Background: Prior single institutional studies and case series suggest that management of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) can be highly variable across different centers. To better contextualize emerging therapies and their place in management, we aimed to characterize current population-based treatment patterns, outcomes, and healthcare resource utilization. Methods: Using real-world registries and administrative data, we analyzed a contemporary cohort of patients diagnosed with advanced UCB from 2010 to 2017 in the large province of Alberta, Canada. The study time period was selected to allow for adequate follow-up. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot estimates of overall survival (OS) and Cox proportional hazards model was constructed to determine the associations of clinical characteristics with outcomes. Summary statistics were used to describe healthcare resource use. Results: We included 1,146 advanced UCB patients. Median age was 73 (IQR 65-81) years, majority (78%) were men, and most (69%) had a Charlson comorbidity index of 0 to 1. Only 363 (32%) were referred, consulted with oncologists, and received palliative systemic therapy. Common regimens consisted of platinum-based doublet in the first-line (1L) setting and single-agent chemotherapy or immunotherapy in the second-line (2L) setting. Only 116 (32%) of the 1L treated patients proceeded to 2L. Median OS was 9.8 months (10.2 and 5.3 months in treated and untreated patients, respectively). After adjusting for confounders, receipt of at least one line of systemic therapy was associated with improved OS (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.65-0.95, P = 0.011) as was urban residence with more access to oncology care (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.73-0.92, P = 0.001). Median number of emergency department visits was 4 (IQR 2-7) per patient. Median number of hospitalizations and duration of admissions were 3 (IQR 2-5) per patient and 10 (IQR 6-16) days, respectively. Conclusions: In our population-based sample, the poor prognosis of UCB may be largely attributed to the low receipt of systemic therapy rather than the burden of comorbidities or acute care encounters. Since treatment attrition is significant, efforts to streamline referral to and consultation with oncologists at the time of metastatic diagnosis may optimize the use of appropriate systemic therapies and improve survival. This is increasingly important as novel, more effective therapies for advanced UCB are introduced into the treatment armamentarium.