Treatment patterns and outcomes among patients with recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

AIM: Cetuximab was approved in 2008 for treating recurrent/metastatic (R/M) head-and-neck squamous-cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and this study assessed the utilization of cetuximab for R/M-HNSCC in a real-world setting. MATERIALS & METHODS: Adult patients with R/M-HNSCC, who initiated systemic therapy between 1 September 2011 and 31 December 2014 and followed through 31 December 2015, were identified from iKnowMed electronic-health-records database (McKesson Specialty Health) supplemented with manual chart-abstraction. RESULTS: For 325 R/M-HNSCC patients; median age 62 years; 82% males, 67% had oropharyngeal cancer, most common first-line (1L) regimen was platinum-based combinations (76%), of whom only 8% received platinum + cetuximab +/- 5-fluorouracil. CONCLUSION: Despite US FDA approval and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommending use of cetuximab for palliative treatment of R/M-HNSCC, our study demonstrates low utilization in 1L and 2L settings, underscoring the need to understand reasons for low utilization.

Outcomes in patients with metastatic bladder cancer in the USA: a retrospective electronic medical record study.

Aim: Investigate the effectiveness of chemotherapy for first-line (1L) treatment of metastatic bladder cancer (mBC). Methods: Retrospective cohort study evaluating treatment patterns/outcomes in 1155 mBC patients receiving initial treatment in the community practice setting from January 2010 to June 2014, and followed through July 2016. Results: The most commonly utilized 1L and second-line (2L) regimens were platinum-based and taxane-based, respectively. Median (95% CI) OS for all patients from 1L initiation was 12.8 months (11.7-14.6), and median OS for all 2L regimens was 9.4 months (8.2-11.1). Conclusion: mBC patients eligible for and who received cis-based regimens experienced better OS results. Poor renal function was a key driver of cis-ineligibility. The various monotherapy and combination chemotherapy regimens in 2L produced relatively short OS outcomes.

Real-World Use and Outcomes of ALK-Positive Crizotinib-Treated Metastatic NSCLC in US Community Oncology Practices: A Retrospective Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: Around 3⁻5% of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) are ALK-positive. Crizotinib was the first approved ALK inhibitor from clinical trials. However, there are less data on the utilization and patient outcomes associated with crizotinib in real-world clinical practice. METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study of adult crizotinib-treated ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC patients who received treatment between 1 September 2011 and 31 October 2014, with follow up through 31 December 2015. Data were obtained via programmatic queries of the US Oncology Network/McKesson Specialty Health electronic health record database, supplemented with chart abstraction. Overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF) were estimated from crizotinib initiation using the Kaplan⁻Meier (KM) method. RESULTS: Of the n = 199 ALK-positive crizotinib-treated patients meeting eligibility criteria, crizotinib was prescribed as first line (1 L) in n = 123 (61.8%). The majority (88.9%) had confirmed adenocarcinoma histology and 32.2% had brain metastases at initial diagnosis. Median age at crizotinib initiation was 60.2 years (range 27.1⁻88.2); 54.8% were never smokers, 33.7% were former smokers. Treatment of 250 mg, twice daily, was most commonly prescribed (89.5%) with the dose unchanged from an initial dose in 79.4% of patients. The primary discontinuation reason was progression (n = 91, 58.7%). Patients (3.2%) were identified as discontinuing crizotinib as a result of treatment-related toxicity. With median follow-up time of 13.0 months (min⁻max = 0.03⁻46.6), median OS from crizotinib initiation was 33.8 months (95% CI = 24.3⁻38.8). Median TTF was 10.4 months. CONCLUSIONS: Crizotinib usage evaluated within the real-world setting is consistent with prior phase III clinical trial data, and illustrates the real-world effectiveness of crizotinib.

Pembrolizumab Utilization and Outcomes for Advanced Melanoma in US Community Oncology Practices.

The programmed death-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab has demonstrated efficacy and safety in clinical trials for treating advanced (unresectable/metastatic) melanoma. We investigated the real-world utilization of pembrolizumab and associated patient outcomes for advanced melanoma in US community oncology practices. This retrospective, observational study used deidentified data from electronic health records for adult patients with advanced melanoma who received pembrolizumab at The US Oncology Network sites from September 2014 through December 2015, with follow-up through September 2016. Patients enrolled in clinical trials were excluded. Overall survival (OS) and physician-stated progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed from pembrolizumab initiation using Kaplan-Meier, and associations between pembrolizumab therapy and OS/PFS, using multivariable Cox regression. Of 168 patients studied, 110 (65%) were male; the median age was 66 years (range, 26-over 90). Pembrolizumab was prescribed as first-line, second-line, and third-line/later for 39 (23%), 87 (52%), and 42 (25%) patients, respectively. In total, 41 patients (24%) had brain metastases. At pembrolizumab initiation, 21/129 (16%) had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) >1; 51/116 (44%) had elevated lactate dehydrogenase. Median follow-up was 10.5 months (range, 0-25.1); median OS was 19.4 months (95% confidence interval, 14.0-not reached); median PFS was 4.2 months (95% confidence interval, 2.9-5.3). Brain metastases, ECOG PS>1, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, and third-line/later (vs. first-line) pembrolizumab were significant predictors (P<0.01) of decreased survival. Treatment-related toxicity was a discontinuation reason for 25% (29/117) of patients, and for 10 of these 29 patients (6% of the full-study cohort) treatment-related toxicity was the only reported reason. The real-world effectiveness and safety of pembrolizumab for advanced melanoma are consistent with clinical trial findings.