Cranial neuropathies in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Neurological recovery after modern radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: Cranial neuropathy is a common presenting symptom of advanced T4 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Data on neurological outcomes after modern intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and chemotherapy are scarce. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Case records of consecutive T4 NPC patients who received definitive IMRT in two tertiary oncology centers in 2004-2019 were reviewed. Patterns of cranial neuropathies at disease presentation were recorded. Time to neurological recovery and the rate of subsequent re-palsy were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Clinical predictors were analyzed using multivariable Cox regression. RESULTS: During the study period, 257 T4 NPC patients presented with 504 individual cranial neuropathies. The median time from neuropathy onset to NPC diagnosis was two months (IQR, 1-4 months). Cranial nerves (CN) VI (56.4%), V2 (47.9%), and V3 (29.2%) were most frequently involved. At a median follow-up of 6.4 years, the crude partial and full recovery rates of neuropathies were 111 (22%) and 289 (57.3%), respectively. CN III, IV, and VI had the highest 5-year full recovery rate (72.7%), followed by CN V1-3 (60.3%), XII (48.6%), and II (18.2%) (p < 0.001). Positive smoking history, optic nerve involvement, and longer duration of neuropathy were independent negative predictors for neurological recovery. After full recovery, re-palsy was observed in 6.9% (20/289) of the nerves, 60% of which co-occurred with local NPC recurrences. CONCLUSION: Durable recovery of most cranial neuropathies in advanced T4 NPC was observed in the era of modern IMRT and effective systemic chemotherapy. Both patient and disease factors affected the chance of neurological recovery. Re-palsy of recovered nerves should prompt careful evaluation for local recurrence.

A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Systemic Therapy for Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Currently, approved first-line treatment options of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) include (1) androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) alone, ADT plus one of the following: (2) docetaxel, (3) abiraterone, (4) enzalutamide, and (5) apalutamide. The high cost of novel androgen receptor pathway inhibitors warrants an understanding of the combinations' value by considering both efficacy and cost. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of these five treatment options in mHSPC from the US payer perspective to guide treatment sequence. METHODS: A Markov model was developed to compare the lifetime cost and effectiveness of these five first-line treatment options for mHSPC using outcomes data from published literature. Health outcomes were measured in life-years and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Drug costs were obtained from the Veterans Affairs Pharmaceutical Catalog. We extrapolated survival beyond closure of the trials. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Life-years, QALYs, lifetime costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were estimated. Univariable, 2-way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate parameter uncertainty. A willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of US$100,000 per QALY was used. RESULTS: Compared to ADT alone, docetaxel plus ADT provided a 0.28 QALY gain at an ICER of US$12,870 per QALY. Abiraterone plus ADT provided an additional 1.70 QALYs against docetaxel plus ADT, with an ICER of US$38,897 per QALY. Compared to abiraterone plus ADT, enzalutamide plus ADT provided an additional 0.87 QALYs at an ICER of US$509,813 per QALY. Apalutamide plus ADT was strongly dominated by enzalutamide plus ADT. Given the WTP threshold of US$100,000 per QALY, abiraterone plus ADT represented high-value health care. CONCLUSIONS: Abiraterone plus ADT is the preferred treatment option for men with mHSPC at a WTP threshold of US$100,000 per QALY.