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C.D. Williams



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    MINI 06 - Quality/Prognosis/Survival (ID 111)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Mini Oral
    • Track: Treatment of Localized Disease - NSCLC
    • Presentations: 2
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      MINI06.03 - Improved Survival in Patients with Stage I-II NSCLC Treated with Surgery or Radiotherapy in the Department of Veterans Affairs (ID 1276)

      16:45 - 18:15  |  Author(s): C.D. Williams

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background:
      Recent advancements in surgical and radiotherapy techniques for early stage NSCLC have demonstrated improved outcomes in clinical trials and case series. However, their impact on large populations remains poorly studied. We therefore analyzed Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data to evaluate temporal trends in survival within a large integrated healthcare system during the decade these techniques were introduced.

      Methods:
      Using VA Central Cancer Registry and vital status data, patients diagnosed with stage I-II NSCLC between 1/1/2001-12/31/2010 were identified. Patient characteristics assessed included age, race, stage, histology, Charlson comorbidity index, specific comorbid conditions, and smoking status. Descriptive and chi-square statistics were used to compare patient characteristics and outcomes.

      Results:
      18,442 patients were identified with stage I-II NSCLC. The primary modality of treatment was surgery in 10,754 (58%), radiotherapy in 3,708 (20%), and another or no therapy in 3,980 (22%). Patients treated with surgery were younger (median age 66 vs 72%, p<0.0001), were more likely to have a comorbidity index of 0 (28% vs 18%, p<0.0001), and were less likely to have COPD (41% vs 58%, p<0.0001), diabetes (22% vs 25%, p=0.0026), peripheral vascular disease (16% vs 20%,P<0.0001), and coronary vascular disease (9 vs 12%,p<0.0001). Surgery patients were more likely to be current (52% vs 45%, p<0.0001) and less likely to be former (39% vs 45%,p<0.0001) smokers. Equal percentages of surgery and radiation patients were black (14% vs 15%) and white (86% vs 85%). Compared to radiotherapy, surgery patients were more likely to have earlier stage disease (stage I: 79% vs 70%, p<0.0001), and adenocarcinoma (45% vs 22%, p<0.0001). The number of stage I-II NSCLC patients treated with radiotherapy or surgery increased by 50% (667 to 1,001) and 35% (1,845 to 2,496), respectively. The percentage treated each year with surgery increased from 56% in 2001 to a peak of 61% in 2004-2005, decreasing back to 56% in 2010. Inversely, the percentage treated each year with radiation decreased from 21% in 2001, to 17% in 2005 and increased to 24% in 2010. The use of other/no therapy remained unchanged. The Southern region comprised almost half of all treated lung cancer diagnoses (46%), followed by the Midwest (21%), the West (17%), and the Northeastern Region (14%). Between 2001-2010, the number of patients receiving therapy (radiation or surgery) increased each year (p=0.0017). The 4-year survival rate was 54% for surgery patients and 19% for radiotherapy patients (p<0.0001), which varied based on stage (stage I: 58% vs 22%; stage II: 41% vs 13%, respectively). Between 2001-2010, patients treated with either surgery or radiotherapy had a 12% absolute improvement in 4 year OS, representing a 100% survival improvement with radiotherapy (12% to 24%) and a 24% improvement with surgery (49% to 61%).

      Conclusion:
      The Department of Veterans Affairs is treating increasing numbers of patients with stage I-II NSCLC. Following a decade when advanced technologies were introduced for surgery and radiotherapy, survival rates have improved significantly for both treatment modalities. The largest gains were observed among patients treated with radiotherapy with a doubling of 4-year survival.

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      MINI06.06 - Early-Stage Lung Cancer Treatment and Survival: Impact of Race (ID 727)

      16:45 - 18:15  |  Author(s): C.D. Williams

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background:
      Lower rates of surgical resection for early-stage lung cancer among blacks compared to whites are well-documented and have persisted for decades. It is suggested that the survival disparity is largely due to lower rates of surgery among blacks and that equivalent outcomes are possible for blacks and whites with similar treatment. The objectives of this work were to utilize a decade of data to evaluate trends in receipt of treatment among blacks and whites and examine the impact of race on survival outcomes.

      Methods:
      We used data from a national cohort of patients in the Veterans Administration diagnosed with Stage I-II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) between 2001 and 2010. Chi-square statistics were used to compare treatment and outcomes by race. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).

      Results:
      Among 18,442 patients with stage I-II NSCLC, the proportion of blacks and whites receiving surgery was 54% and 59% (p ≤ 0.0001), respectively. The black-white difference in surgery rates was 8% in 2001 and 1% in 2010. There was no racial difference in receipt of nonsurgical therapy; however, blacks were more likely than whites to have no treatment (22% vs. 18%, p ≤ 0.0001). Among surgical patients, type of surgical resection was similar by race, the 30-day mortality rate was 2% in both race groups, but 90-day mortality was significantly higher in whites than blacks (6% vs. 3%, p=0.0008). Also, 31% of blacks were diagnosed at the time of surgery compared to 27% of whites (p<0.0001). There was no racial difference in type of nonsurgical treatment, with 86% of all patients who did not have surgery receiving radiation therapy. Among all patients, the 4-year survival rate was 40% in blacks and 39% in whites (p=0.38), and the adjusted HR for blacks compared to whites was 0.91 (95%CI 0.84-0.98) among all patients. Corresponding HRs and 95% CI among patients receiving surgical treatment, nonsurgical treatment, or no treatment were 0.90 (0.83-0.97), 0.83 (0.76-0.91), and 0.91 (0.82-0.996), respectively.

      Conclusion:
      The racial disparity in receipt of surgery for early-stage lung cancer decreased between 2001 and 2010, with similar rates observed at the end of the study period. Previously reported racial differences in survival outcomes were not observed in this cohort. Despite overall lower surgery rates among blacks, the proportion of black and white patients surviving 4 years was similar although overall survival was slightly better among blacks, and this finding was consistent among patients with and without treatment.

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