Survival of pancreatic cancer patients treated with nab-paclitaxel (nab-P) in clinical practice: analysis of National Health Fund data

Abstract

Introduction. Despite advances in the last few decades, pancreatic cancer is still characterized by systematically increasing morbidity and high mortality with a low survival rate. The introduction of nab-paclitaxel (nab-P) to the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma in combination with gemcitabine resulted in improvements in overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR). Material and methods. This study analyzes OS and PFS in pancreatic cancer patients treated with nab-P in the real world setting in Poland, based on data from the National Health Fund (NFZ) database. Results. Data from 873 patients were found (2014–2019). PFS in the entire population was 169 days (95% CI 147–189) without difference between men and women, but significantly better in younger patients (29–50 years). OS in the entire population was 379 days (95% CI 337–non-assessable), with no difference between men and women. A statistically significant longer PFS and OS was demonstrated in the group of patients diagnosed in 2014–2016. Conclusion. Nab-paclitaxel, when used in clinical practice, provides treatment results similar to those in clinical trials. Collecting and periodically analyzing demographic and clinical data could help to assess the place of nab-P in the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer more accurately.