Abstract
BackgroundAs part of the multinational I-O Optimise research initiative, this retrospective cohort study of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evaluated real-world treatment patterns and survival prior to immunotherapy reimbursement in Portugal.MethodsThis study utilized a database held by IPO-Porto, Portugal’s largest oncology hospital. Adult patients diagnosed with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC from January 2012 to December 2016 at IPO-Porto, with follow-up to June 2017, were included. Treatment analyses were performed from 2015 onwards. Kaplan–Meier methods were used for overall survival (OS). Factors associated with OS and systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) treatment were assessed using multivariate statistical models.ResultsOf 1524 patients diagnosed with NSCLC at IPO-Porto, 1008 patients had advanced disease (stage IIIB: 10.1%, 154/1524, stage IV: 56.0%, 854/1524). For those with advanced disease, median age was 65 years (range: 21–92) and 75.6% (762/1008) were male. Median OS (interquartile range [IQR]) was 11.4 (5.2–26.9) months for stage IIIB and 6.3 (2.4–15.0) months for stage IV. Factors associated with decreased risk of death included female sex and epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR)/anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene (ALK) mutations/rearrangements; factors associated with increased risk of death included older age and stage IV disease. Among patients diagnosed in 2015 or 2016, 75.8% (297/392) received ≥1 line of SACT. Platinum-based chemotherapy was the most common first-line therapy (non-squamous cell carcinoma [NSQ]: 72.9%; squamous cell carcinoma [SQ] 87.3%, 55/63; patients with EGFR/ALK mutations/rearrangements primarily received tyrosine kinase inhibitors). The likelihood of receiving SACT was lower in older patients and those diagnosed with stage IV disease. Patients not receiving SACT had poor survival outcomes (median OS [IQR]: NSQ, 1.8 [1.1–3.1] months; SQ, 2.3 (1.3–3.4) months), while median OS (IQR) in SACT-treated patients was 12.6 (6.1–24.5) months for NSQ and 10.3 (5.7–15.9) months for SQ.ConclusionsThis real-world data analysis from a large Portuguese oncology hospital demonstrates a high disease burden for advanced NSCLC in the pre-immunotherapy era, with nearly one-quarter of patients not receiving SACT. Even in patients receiving SACT, median survival was only about 1 year.
Highlights
As part of the multinational I-O Optimise research initiative, this retrospective cohort study of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evaluated real-world treatment patterns and survival prior to immunotherapy reimbursement in Portugal
Factors associated with decreased risk of death included female sex and epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR)/anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene (ALK) mutations/rearrangements; factors associated with increased risk of death included older age and stage IV disease
Data analysis and statistical methodology The current analysis focuses on patients diagnosed with tumour stage IIIB or IV NSCLC (International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 7th edition of the tumour, node, and metastasis [TNM] classification of lung cancer) [14]
Summary
As part of the multinational I-O Optimise research initiative, this retrospective cohort study of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evaluated real-world treatment patterns and survival prior to immunotherapy reimbursement in Portugal. In Portugal, annual direct costs of cancer treatment were estimated to amount to €867 million in 2014 [3]. 1 in 10 patients with cancer have lung cancer [1, 2], placing a burden upon healthcare resources in Portugal [4]. A 2012 health-economic analysis of the impact of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for 80 to 90% of all lung cancers [5], estimated a total disease burden of 28,307 disability-adjusted life-years, and annual costs totalling €143 million (made up of €89 million in direct costs and €54 million in indirect costs) [4]. With the expected rise in lung cancer incidence, the economic burden will continue to grow
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