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J. Nilsson



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    MINI 04 - Clinical Care of Lung Cancer (ID 102)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Mini Oral
    • Track: Treatment of Advanced Diseases - NSCLC
    • Presentations: 1
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      MINI04.02 - Value of Innovation in Systemic Therapy for US Patients with Advanced/Metastatic NSCLC (ID 783)

      16:45 - 18:15  |  Author(s): J. Nilsson

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background:
      Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the US. Over the past 40 years, treatment approaches have evolved and new systemic anti-cancer therapies have been introduced to the standard of care. With few exceptions, the impact of these agents for patients with advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been arguably minimal, with overall survival (OS) still less than 1 year for most patients. This study analyzed the association of available new systemic therapies with median OS, 1-year OS, and 1-year conditional survival (CS: adjusted probability of survival, specifically probability of living to year 2, given survival at 1-year) in patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC.

      Methods:
      This study enrolled adult patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC diagnosed between 1973 and 2011 in the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER-Research) Program of the American National Cancer Institute. We report the data from 1973 to 2008 for this analysis. Thirty-eight cohorts of patients were defined by year of diagnosis. Survivor functions were estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis, with death as the failure event. Median OS, 1-year OS, and 1-year CS were derived for each year and analyzed graphically. The innovation index was defined as the sum of all systemic anti-cancer treatments available in the US market within a given year between 1973 and 2011 (Lichtenberg; Econ Hum Biol 2003;1:259–266).

      Results:
      Of 347,709 patients, a clear correlation was observed between the innovation index and survival measures (median OS, 1-year OS, and 1-year CS), with correlation coefficients of 77%, 92%, and 97%, respectively. Median OS, 1-year OS, 1-year CS, and the innovation index are plotted against time (Figure), enabling a comparison of survival measures between 1973 and 2008. Any change in the innovation index is reflected as a change in the survival curves, most notably in the 1-year CS, displaying a 1- or 2-year delay. From 1973 to 2008, median life expectancy of patients increased from 4 to 6 months; 1-year OS and 1-year CS improved by 71% and 31%, respectively. Figure 1



      Conclusion:
      The availability of systemic anti-cancer treatments for advanced/metastatic NSCLC has resulted in an incremental survival benefit, albeit modest, for US patients diagnosed between 1973 and 2008. Despite progress in treatment, outcomes for this patient population are very poor. Further research is needed to explore these treatment-survival relationships, including the resulting benefit for all patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC and select patient subgroups.

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