Aberrant T-cell antigen expression in B lymphoblastic leukaemia.

B lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) cells are characterized by the expression of various B-cell antigens. Expression of T/Natural Killer-cell antigens, however, has rarely been reported in B-ALL (TAg+ B-ALL), and the significance of this aberrant antigen expression is unclear. We thus analysed the frequency of TAg+ B-ALL at our institution and investigated its significance in the context of immunophenotypes, cytogenetic/molecular findings, and prognosis. We reviewed 134 consecutive cases of B-ALL and found 18 cases (13·4%) of TAg+ B-ALL. The most common aberrant T-cell antigens expressed were CD2, CD5, and CD7 at equivalent rates (each in six cases), CD4 (two cases), and CD56 (three cases). Adverse cytogenetic abnormalities were seen in a significantly larger proportion of the TAg+ cases (72·2%) than the TAg- cases (32·2%; P = 0·003). Multivariate Cox-regression analysis showed that the risk of relapse over time was higher in the TAg+ cases, independent of high risk status (based on age and white blood cell count) and the presence of adverse cytogenetic abnormalities (hazard ratio = 2·256, P = 0·065). These findings suggest that T-cell antigen expression in B-ALL may be an independent predictor of poor prognosis, and a useful marker to identify patients at increased risk for relapse and for harbouring adverse cytogenetic abnormalities.

Doppler-defined pulmonary hypertension and the risk of death in children with sickle cell disease followed for a mean of three years.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is associated with increased mortality in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD), but its prognostic significance in children is unknown. Eighty-eight children with SCD were followed after echocardiographic screening for PH. After a mean follow-up of 3 years, all 18 subjects with PH were alive. In our children, as in adults with SCD, PH was associated with increased haemolysis. In contrast, our subjects with PH did not have overt systemic disease observed in adults. PH may be a manifestation of progressive organ damage from chronic haemolysis and systemic vasculopathy that ultimately leads to early death in adulthood.

Treatment and Monitoring Patterns Among Premenopausal Women with HR+/HER2- Advanced Breast Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Premenopausal women with hormone receptor positive (HR+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer (aBC) often present with aggressive tumor types that lead to poor prognosis, high rates of recurrence, and mortality. Although clinical guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for optimal treatment and monitoring, there is a dearth of information regarding treatment and monitoring patterns in clinical practice. In this study, we describe treatment and monitoring patterns among premenopausal women with HR+/HER2- aBC in real-world practice. METHODS: A large US claims database was used to describe treatment patterns for patients in first, second, and third lines of therapy. Treatment monitoring included complete blood count (CBC), liver function test (LFT), and electrocardiogram (EKG) monitoring, described for the first three lines of therapy, and separately for patients receiving endocrine monotherapy (ET) and chemotherapy. RESULTS: Among 3203 patients, chemotherapy was the most common treatment used in first-line (63.6%) and second-line therapy (66.9%). ET was used in 34.4, 30.1, and 73.6% of patients in first, second, and third lines of therapy, respectively. The two most common treatment sequences were a single line of ET (27.3%), and two consecutive lines of chemotherapy followed by a line of ET (19.3%). Patients receiving chemotherapy were monitored with CBC on average more than two times per month, and for LFT one to two times per month. Patients receiving ET were monitored with CBC and LFT on average once every 2-3 months. Overall, approximately 20% of patients were monitored with an EKG at some point during each line of therapy. CONCLUSION: A considerable proportion of premenopausal women with aBC received first- and second-line chemotherapy, which appears inconsistent with current clinical guidelines. The observed treatment heterogeneity points to a lack real-world consensus on the management of premenopausal women with HR+/HER2- aBC. FUNDING: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

Dosing Patterns and Economic Burden of Palbociclib Drug Wastage in HR+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Targeted therapies have revolutionized the treatment of hormone receptor positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (mBC). However, as for many oncology drugs, the dose of targeted therapies may need to be adjusted over time, leading to drug wastage when a dose modification is needed but the dose cannot be split or saved. This has been shown to be the case for palbociclib and has led to concerns among payers. This study described palbociclib dosing patterns and estimated the economic burden of the drug wastage associated with palbociclib dose modifications in postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC. METHODS: A large US claims database was used to identify postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC who received a palbociclib-based therapy during one of their first three lines of therapy for mBC between February 2015 (palbociclib approval) and December 2015. Dosing patterns (dosing modifications and sequences) were reported; a dose modification was defined as an increase/decrease of at least 25 mg daily compared to the preceding dose. Estimates of drug wastage costs were based on days with overlap in prescription fills for different palbociclib doses. RESULTS: A total of 473 postmenopausal palbociclib-treated women with HR+/HER2- mBC were included (first line 214; second line 157; third line 120). Over an average duration of line of therapy of approximately 4 months, dose modification was observed in 17.8%, 31.2%, and 35.0% of patients in first, second, and third line. Average overlap in prescription fills was 9.2, 9.9, and 5.4 days in first, second, and third line. This potential drug wastage resulted in an average cost of $4376, $4740, and $2592 per patient in first, second, and third line. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that drug wastage due to palbociclib dose modification results in substantial costs. Treatment options with more flexible dosing may help reduce the costs of drug wastage. FUNDING: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

Economic Burden of HR+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer Among Adult Premenopausal Women.

INTRODUCTION: Premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) have complex treatment needs and may receive sequential combinations of endocrine therapy (ET) or chemotherapy. This study describes healthcare utilization (HRU) and costs among premenopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC in real-world settings from a payer's perspective. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, premenopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC who received ET or chemotherapy were identified from the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan database (1 January 2006-31 December 2015). The main HRU outcomes per patient per 6 months (PPP6 M) were measured during each line of therapy and included number of days in inpatient (IP) and outpatient (OP) services. Healthcare costs per patient per month (PPPM) included medical and pharmacy costs. RESULTS: A total of 3203 patients received first-line, 2194 received second-line, and 1242 received third-line therapy for mBC. Mean number of IP days PPP6 M were 1.6, 1.3, and 1.5 days in the first, second, and third lines, respectively. Mean number of days with OP services PPP6 M was 31.4, 30.9, and 23.3 in the first, second, and third lines, respectively. Among patients receiving ET, mean total healthcare costs were $6521, $4440, and $4555 PPPM in the first, second, and third line, respectively. Among patients receiving chemotherapy, mean total healthcare costs were $16,842, $12,868, and $16,129 PPPM in the first, second, and third line, respectively. These costs were mainly driven by treatment and OP costs. CONCLUSION: Real-world HRU and costs among premenopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC are extensive. Patients who received chemotherapy incurred approximately twice the costs of patients treated with ET. FUNDING: Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp.

Monitoring of Hematologic, Cardiac, and Hepatic Function in Post-Menopausal Women with HR+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: In the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (mBC), regular monitoring is key in helping physicians to make informed clinical decisions, managing treatment side effects, and maintaining patients' quality of life. Therefore, we investigated the monitoring frequency in post-menopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC stratified by first-line regimen. METHODS: Treatment monitoring was assessed using two complementary data sources: a medical chart review (chart review analysis) and a commercial claims database (claims analysis). Women with post-menopausal HR+/HER2- mBC who initiated first-line therapy for mBC were selected and classified under three cohorts, based on treatment received: cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor (i.e., palbociclib-the only CDK4/6 approved at the time of the study), endocrine therapy (ET), and chemotherapy. Frequency of monitoring [complete blood count (CBC), electrocardiogram (EKG), and liver function test (LFT)] and laboratory abnormalities detected during the first line of therapy were analyzed. RESULTS: In the chart review analysis, 64 US oncologists abstracted medical information on 401 eligible patients, including 210 CDK4/6 users, 121 ET users, 51 chemotherapy users; 19 patients used other regimens. All patients had ≥ 1 CBC; between 8.3% (ET users) and 39.5% (CDK4/6 users) had ≥ 1 EKG; and over 98% of patients had ≥ 1 LFT across all three cohorts. Among monitored patients, 64.6% had a CBC abnormality, with anemia (39.9%), leukopenia (27.4%), and neutropenia (26.7%) being the most common. Abnormal EKG readings were detected in 8.4, 0.0%, and 7.7% of CDK4/6, ET, and chemotherapy users, respectively. LFT abnormalities were detected in 14.1-26.0% of CDK4/6 and chemotherapy users, respectively. Similar frequency of monitoring was observed in the claims analysis, with the exception of EKG monitoring, for which the proportion of patients tested was higher. CONCLUSION: Post-menopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC receiving first-line therapy with CDK4/6, ET, or chemotherapy were regularly monitored regardless of the first-line regimen received. FUNDING: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

Current Treatment Patterns Among Postmenopausal Women with HR+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer in US Community Oncology Practices: An Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: Recent approval of novel agents has changed the treatment landscape for post menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (mBC). The objective of this study was to describe contemporary treatment patterns among postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC in the real-world setting. METHODS: Data were collected from 64 community oncologists in the US between February and June 2017 using an online medical records extraction tool. Physicians reviewed medical records and provided information on patient demographics and disease characteristics, and treatment regimens. Treatment patterns were described overall and separately by line of therapy and type of treatment received. Discontinuation rates were estimated using Kaplan-Meier analyses to account for censoring. RESULTS: Data were collected on 401 patients. Mean age at the time of mBC diagnosis was 67 years. In the first-line setting, 52.4% of patients received a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor-based regimen, most commonly with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) (39.2%) or fulvestrant (10.0%); 30.2% received endocrine therapy, most commonly an AI (21.4%) or fulvestrant (5.2%) in monotherapy, while 12.7% received a chemotherapy-based regimen. In the second-line setting, 42.9% of patients received a CDK4/6 inhibitor-based regimen, 18.4% received endocrine therapy, and 22.4% received a chemotherapy-based regimen. The 18-month discontinuation rate was 34.5% for patients receiving a CDK4/6 inhibitor-based regimen and 45.8% for patients receiving endocrine monotherapy. CONCLUSION: CDK4/6 inhibitor-based regimens were the most commonly prescribed treatment in both first- and second-line settings. A wide variety of treatment sequences were observed which suggests an absence of a standard of care for postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- mBC in real-world practice.