Socioeconomic Inequalities in Novel NSCLC Treatments During the Era of Tumor Biomarker-Guided Therapy: A Population-Based Cohort Study in a Publicly Funded Health Care System.

INTRODUCTION: Socioeconomic inequalities in the utilization of conventional NSCLC treatments are well documented. Nevertheless, it is not known whether these inequalities are also observed with novel anticancer therapies. This study evaluated associations between deprivation and utilization of novel anticancer therapies targeting tumor biology, the immune system, or both, within the English national publicly funded health care system. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 90,785 patients diagnosed with having a histologically confirmed stage IV NSCLC from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2017, sourced from the English national population-based cancer registry and linked Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy database, was undertaken. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated the likelihood of novel anticancer therapy utilization by deprivation category of area of residence at diagnosis (measured by quintiles of the income domain of the index of multiple deprivation). RESULTS: Multivariable analyses revealed marked treatment inequalities by deprivation. Patients residing in the most deprived areas were more than half as likely to use any novel therapy (multivariable OR [mvOR] = 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.41-0.49) compared with patients residing in the most affluent areas. Deprivation associations with treatment utilization were slightly stronger with targeted treatments ([most versus least deprived] mvOR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.35-0.43) than immune checkpoint inhibitors (mvOR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.51-0.66). CONCLUSIONS: There are marked socioeconomic inequalities in NSCLC novel treatment utilization, even in the English National Health Service where treatment is free at the point of delivery. These findings have important implications for equitable delivery of drugs, which have transformed outcomes in metastatic lung cancer. Further work exploring the underlying causes is now needed.

Are there socio-economic inequalities in utilization of predictive biomarker tests and biological and precision therapies for cancer? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Novel biological and precision therapies and their associated predictive biomarker tests offer opportunities for increased tumor response, reduced adverse effects, and improved survival. This systematic review determined if there are socio-economic inequalities in utilization of predictive biomarker tests and/or biological and precision cancer therapies. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, PubMed, and PsycINFO were searched for peer-reviewed studies, published in English between January 1998 and December 2019. Observational studies reporting utilization data for predictive biomarker tests and/or cancer biological and precision therapies by a measure of socio-economic status (SES) were eligible. Data was extracted from eligible studies. A modified ISPOR checklist for retrospective database studies was used to assess study quality. Meta-analyses were undertaken using a random-effects model, with sub-group analyses by cancer site and drug class. Unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed for each study. Pooled utilization ORs for low versus high socio-economic groups were calculated for test and therapy receipt. RESULTS: Among 10,722 citations screened, 62 papers (58 studies; 8 test utilization studies, 37 therapy utilization studies, 3 studies on testing and therapy, 10 studies without denominator populations or which only reported mean socio-economic status) met the inclusion criteria. Studies reported on 7 cancers, 5 predictive biomarkers tests, and 11 biological and precision therapies. Thirty-eight studies (including 1,036,125 patients) were eligible for inclusion in meta-analyses. Low socio-economic status was associated with modestly lower predictive biomarker test utilization (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.71-1.05; 10 studies) and significantly lower biological and precision therapy utilization (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.75-0.91; 30 studies). Associations with therapy utilization were stronger in lung cancer (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.51-1.00; 6 studies), than breast cancer (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.78-1.10; 8 studies). The mean study quality score was 6.9/10. CONCLUSIONS: These novel results indicate that there are socio-economic inequalities in predictive biomarker tests and biological and precision therapy utilization. This requires further investigation to prevent differences in outcomes due to inequalities in treatment with biological and precision therapies.