Assessment of breast cancer chemotherapy dose reduction in an integrated healthcare delivery system.

PURPOSE: Most cytotoxic drugs are dosed using body surface area (BSA), yet not all cancer patients receive the full BSA-determined dose. Prior work suggests that breast cancer patients who are obese are more likely to experience dose reduction than normal weight patients. However, the factors driving dose reduction remain unclear. METHODS: In 452 women diagnosed with stage I-IIIA primary breast cancer at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, we evaluated the association between obesity and dose reduction, and further explored other factors in relation to dose reduction, including various sociodemographic characteristics, tumor characteristics, and comorbidities. Study participants were a part of the Pathways Study, diagnosed between 2006 and 2013 and treated with cyclophosphamide + doxorubicin, followed by paclitaxel (ACT). Dose reduction was assessed using first cycle dose proportion (FCDP) and average relative dose intensity (ARDI), a metric of dose intensity over the course of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Overall, 8% of participants received a FCDP < 90% and 21.2% had an ARDI < 90%, with dose reduction increasing with body mass index. In adjusted logistic regression models, obese women had 4.1-fold higher odds of receiving an ARDI < 90% than normal weight women (95% CI: 1.9-8.9; p-trend = 0.0006). Increasing age was positively associated with an ADRI < 90%, as was the presence of comorbidity. Dose reduction was less common in later calendar years. CONCLUSION: Results offer insight on factors associated with chemotherapy dosing for a common breast cancer regimen. Larger studies are required to evaluate relevance to other regimens, and further work will be needed to determine whether dose reductions impact outcomes in obese women.

Comparison of two area-level socioeconomic deprivation indices: Implications for public health research, practice, and policy.

OBJECTIVES: To compare 2 frequently used area-level socioeconomic deprivation indices: the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). METHODS: Index agreement was assessed via pairwise correlations, decile score distribution and mean comparisons, and mapping. The 2019 ADI and 2018 SVI indices at the U.S. census tract-level were analyzed. RESULTS: Index correlation was modest (R = 0.51). Less than half (44.4%) of all tracts had good index agreement (0-1 decile difference). Among the 6.3% of tracts with poor index agreement (≥6 decile difference), nearly 1 in 5 were classified by high SVI and low ADI scores. Index items driving poor agreement, such as high rents, mortgages, and home values in urban areas with characteristics indicative of socioeconomic deprivation, were also identified. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in index dimensions and agreement indicated that ADI and SVI are not interchangeable measures of socioeconomic deprivation at the tract level. Careful consideration is necessary when selecting an area-level socioeconomic deprivation measure that appropriately defines deprivation relative to the context in which it will be used. How deprivation is operationalized affects interpretation by researchers as well as public health practitioners and policymakers making decisions about resource allocation and working to address health equity.

A Scoping Review of Behavioral Interventions Addressing Medical Financial Hardship.

Little information has been compiled across studies about existing interventions to mitigate issues of medical financial hardship, despite growing interest in health care delivery. The purpose of this qualitative systematic scoping review was to examine content and outcomes of interventions to address medical financial hardship. PRISMA guidelines were applied to present results using PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL, published between January 1980 and August 2020. Additional studies were identified through reference lists of selected papers. Included studies focused on mitigating medical financial hardship from out-of-pocket (OOP) health care expenses as an intervention strategy with at least 1 evaluation component. Screening 2412 articles identified 339 articles for full-text review, 12 of which met inclusion criteria. Variation was found regarding targets and outcome measurement of intervention. Primary outcomes were in the following categories: financial outcomes (eg, OOP expenses), behavioral outcomes, psychosocial, health care utilization, and health status. No included studies reported significant reduction in OOP expenses, perceptions of financial burden/toxicity, or health status. However, changes were observed for behavioral outcomes (adherence to treatment, patient needs addressed), some psychosocial outcomes (mental health symptoms, perceived support, patient satisfaction), and care utilization such as routine health care. No patterns were observed in the achievement of outcomes across studies based on intensity of intervention. Few rigorous studies exist in this emerging field, and studies have not shown consistent positive effects. Future research should focus on conceptual clarity of the intervention, align outcome measurement and achieve consensus around outcomes, and employ rigorous study designs, measurement, and outcome follow-up.

Association of 21-Gene Assay (OncotypeDX) Testing and Receipt of Chemotherapy in the Medicare Breast Cancer Patient Population Following Initial Adoption.

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to investigate why early studies regarding adoption of the 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay did not show an initial reduction in the number of patients with breast cancer receiving real-world chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We addressed 2 sources of confounding suspected in previous studies: (1) the early time frame during the initial adoption phase of the RS assay, and (2) suspected selective, increased administration to patients more likely to have been chemotherapy candidates. To address selective use during initial adoption, we used updated SEER-Medicare data from 2004 and 2011. To address individual selection bias, we examined whether RS test utilization was negatively associated with rates of local chemotherapy use assessed at the hospital referral region level using conventional ordinary least squares and instrumental variable approaches to adjust for selection bias. RESULTS: A total of 26,009 patients met inclusion criteria. Assay use was associated with a decrease in absolute percentage use of chemotherapy of 4.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.2%-5.7%), which was even more pronounced in sensitivity analyses limited to later study years (2008-2011), with a decrease of 6.8% (95% CI, 5.3%-8.3%). Instrumental variable models yielded similar point estimates but were insufficiently powered to draw conclusions. CONCLUSION: Receipt of the 21-gene assay was associated with decreased utilization of chemotherapy by 2008.

Association Between Delivery System Structure and Intensity of End-of-Life Cancer Care.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the type of delivery system is associated with intensity of care at the end of life for Medicare beneficiaries with cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used SEER registry data linked with Medicare claims to evaluate intensity of end-of-life care for patients who died of one of ten common cancers diagnosed from 2009 through 2014. Patients were categorized as receiving the majority of their care in an integrated delivery system, designated cancer center, health system that was both integrated and a certified cancer center, or health system that was neither. We evaluated adherence to seven nationally endorsed end-of-life quality measures using generalized linear models across four delivery system types. RESULTS: Among 100,549 beneficiaries who died of cancer during the study interval, we identified only modest differences in intensity of end-of-life care across delivery system structures. Health systems with no cancer center or integrated affiliation demonstrated higher proportions of patients with multiple hospitalizations in the last 30 days of life (11.3%), death in an acute care setting (25.9%), and lack of hospice use in the last year of life (31.6%; all P < .001). Patients enrolled in hospice had lower intensity care across multiple end-of-life quality measures. CONCLUSION: Intensity of care at the end of life for patients with cancer was higher at delivery systems with no integration or cancer focus. Maximal supportive care delivered through hospice may be one avenue to reduce high-intensity care at the end of life and may impact quality of care for patients dying from cancer.

Effects of Transitioning to Medicare Part D on Access to Drugs for Medical Conditions among Dual Enrollees with Cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of transitioning from Medicaid to Medicare Part D drug coverage on the use of noncancer treatments among dual enrollees with cancer. METHODS: We leveraged a representative 5% national sample of all fee-for-service dual enrollees in the United States (2004-2007) to evaluate the impact of the removal of caps on the number of reimbursable prescriptions per month (drug caps) under Part D on 1) prevalence and 2) average days' supply dispensed for antidepressants, antihypertensives, and lipid-lowering agents overall and by race (white and black). RESULTS: The removal of drug caps was associated with increased use of lipid-lowering medications (days' supply 3.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.57-5.70). Among blacks in capped states, we observed increased use of lipid-lowering therapy (any use 0.08 percentage points; 95% CI 0.05-0.10; and days' supply 4.01; 95% CI 2.92-5.09) and antidepressants (days' supply 2.20; 95% CI 0.61-3.78) and increasing trends in antihypertensive use (any use 0.01 percentage points; 95% CI 0.004-0.01; and days' supply 1.83; 95% CI 1.25-2.41). The white-black gap in the use of lipid-lowering medications was immediately reduced (-0.09 percentage points; 95% CI -0.15 to -0.04). We also observed a reversal in trends toward widening white-black differences in antihypertensive use (level -0.08 percentage points; 95% CI -0.12 to -0.05; and trend -0.01 percentage points; 95% CI -0.02 to -0.01) and antidepressant use (-0.004 percentage points; 95% CI -0.01 to -0.0004). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the removal of drug caps under Part D had a modest impact on the treatment of hypercholesterolemia overall and may have reduced white-black gaps in the use of lipid-lowering and antidepressant therapies.

Long-Term Economic and Employment Outcomes Among Partners of Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: Work loss is one of many personal costs for patients with cancer and their families. Many women with breast cancer face long-term job loss that stems from their diagnoses. However, little is known about the economic and employment outcomes of partners of women with breast cancer. METHODS: Women with nonmetastatic breast cancer identified by the Detroit and Los Angeles SEER registries between June 2005 and February 2007 were surveyed at both 9 months and 4 years after diagnosis. Partners were surveyed 4 years after patients' diagnoses. Nonretired partners were asked about employment and financial consequences that stemmed from the patients' breast cancer diagnoses and treatments. RESULTS: A total of 517 (67%) of 774 eligible partners completed the survey; 32% reported worsened financial status attributed to patients' breast cancers. Two hundred forty nonretired partners worked during the year after the patients' diagnoses; 90% were still working 4 years postdiagnosis. A total of 32% of partners decreased their work hours as a result of patients' breast cancer diagnoses and treatments; 64% of partners reported that, as a result of patients' breast cancer diagnoses and treatments, it was very/extremely important to keep working to keep health insurance. Overall, 51% of partners reported that it was very/extremely important to avoid changing jobs, because they were worried about loss of health insurance. CONCLUSION: Nearly one third of partners reported that their financial status was worse because of the patient's breast cancer, although most remained working 4 years after a diagnosis. Partners may continue to work longer than desired to compensate for a loss of financial resources in the family.

Early National Dissemination of Abiraterone and Enzalutamide for Advanced Prostate Cancer in Medicare Part D.

INTRODUCTION: Abiraterone and enzalutamide were approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2011 and 2012 to treat men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Most men with mCRPC are > 65 years of age and thus eligible for Medicare Part D. We conducted a study to better understand the early dissemination of these drugs across the United States using national Medicare Part D data. METHODS: We evaluated the number of prescriptions for abiraterone and enzalutamide by provider specialty and hospital referral region (HRR) using Medicare Part D and Dartmouth Atlas data. We categorized HRRs by abiraterone and enzalutamide prescriptions, adjusted for prostate cancer incidence, and examined factors associated with regional variation using multilevel regression models. RESULTS: Among providers who wrote the majority of prescriptions for abiraterone or enzalutamide in 2013 (n = 2,121), 87.5% were medical oncologists, 3.3% were urologists, and 9.2% were other provider specialties. Among prescribers, approximately 30% were responsible for three quarters of the claims for abiraterone and 20% were responsible for more than half the claims for enzalutamide. Some HRRs demonstrated low-prescribing rates despite average medical oncology and urology physician workforce density. Our multilevel model demonstrated that regional factors potentially influenced variation in care. CONCLUSION: The majority of prescriptions written for abiraterone and enzalutamide through Medicare Part D in 2013 were written by a minority of providers, with marked regional variation across the United States. Better understanding of the early national dissemination of these effective but expensive drugs can help inform strategies to optimize introduction of new, evidence-based mCRPC treatments.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Survivorship Care Plans Among Low-Income, Predominantly Latina Breast Cancer Survivors.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of treatment summaries and survivorship care plans coupled with a nurse counseling session, primarily on physician implementation of and secondarily on patient adherence to recommended survivorship care, among a low-income population of breast cancer survivors (survivors). Methods We recruited 212 low-income, predominantly Latina (72.6%) survivors with stage 0 to III breast cancer, with an average age of 53 years, from two Los Angeles County public hospitals into an RCT of a survivorship care nurse counseling session coupled with the provision of individualized treatment summaries and survivorship care plans to patients and their health care providers from December 2012 to July 2014. One hundred seven survivors received the experimental intervention, and 105 survivors received usual care. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess intervention effects on physician implementation of and patient adherence to recommended survivorship care. Scales that served as covariables were Knowledge of Survivorship Issues, Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Physician Interactions, and Satisfaction With Care and Information. Results Survivors in the intervention group reported greater physician implementation of recommended breast cancer survivorship care, for example, treatment of depression or hot flashes, than did those in the control group (adjusted difference, 16 ± 5.3; P = .003). Baseline Satisfaction With Care and Information was positively associated with physician implementation (coefficient, 5.2 ± 2.2; P = .02). Being married/partnered (-11.8 ± 4.0; P = .004) and age (-0.5 ± 0.2; P = .028) were negatively associated with patient adherence. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first RCT of survivorship care plans to show benefits in clinical outcomes, in this case, showing increased physician implementation of recommended breast cancer survivorship care in the intervention group, compared with the control group.

Variation in the use of advanced imaging at the time of breast cancer diagnosis in a statewide registry.

BACKGROUND: Although national guidelines do not recommend extent of disease imaging for patients with newly diagnosed early stage breast cancer given that the harm outweighs the benefits, high rates of testing have been documented. The 2012 Choosing Wisely guidelines specifically addressed this issue. We examined the change over time in imaging use across a statewide collaborative, as well as the reasons for performing imaging and the impact on cost of care. METHODS: Clinicopathologic data and use of advanced imaging tests (positron emission tomography, computed tomography, and bone scan) were abstracted from the medical records of patients treated at 25 participating sites in the Michigan Breast Oncology Quality Initiative (MiBOQI). For patients diagnosed in 2014 and 2015, reasons for testing were abstracted from the medical record. RESULTS: Of the 34,078 patients diagnosed with stage 0-II breast cancer between 2008 and 2015 in MiBOQI, 6853 (20.1%) underwent testing with at least 1 imaging modality in the 90 days after diagnosis. There was considerable variability in rates of testing across the 25 sites for all stages of disease. Between 2008 and 2015, testing decreased over time for patients with stage 0-IIA disease (all P < .001) and remained stable for stage IIB disease (P = .10). This decrease in testing over time resulted in a cost savings, especially for patients with stage I disease. CONCLUSION: Use of advanced imaging at the time of diagnosis decreased over time in a large statewide collaborative. Additional interventions are warranted to further reduce rates of unnecessary imaging to improve quality of care for patients with breast cancer. Cancer 2017;123:2975-83. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

The Relationship of Obesity to Hospice Use and Expenditures: A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity complicates medical, nursing, and informal care in severe illness, but its effect on hospice use and Medicare expenditures is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To describe the associations between body mass index (BMI) and hospice use and Medicare expenditures in the last 6 months of life. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: The HRS (Health and Retirement Study). PARTICIPANTS: 5677 community-dwelling Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries who died between 1998 and 2012. MEASUREMENTS: Hospice enrollment, days enrolled in hospice, in-home death, and total Medicare expenditures in the 6 months before death. Body mass index was modeled as a continuous variable with a quadratic functional form. RESULTS: For decedents with BMI of 20 kg/m2, the predicted probability of hospice enrollment was 38.3% (95% CI, 36.5% to 40.2%), hospice duration was 42.8 days (CI, 42.3 to 43.2 days), probability of in-home death was 61.3% (CI, 59.4% to 63.2%), and total Medicare expenditures were $42 803 (CI, $41 085 to $44 521). When BMI increased to 30 kg/m2, the predicted probability of hospice enrollment decreased by 6.7 percentage points (CI, -9.3 to -4.0 percentage points), hospice duration decreased by 3.8 days (CI, -4.4 to -3.1 days), probability of in-home death decreased by 3.2 percentage points (CI, -6.0 to -0.4 percentage points), and total Medicare expenditures increased by $3471 (CI, $955 to $5988). For morbidly obese decedents (BMI ≥40 kg/m2), the predicted probability of hospice enrollment decreased by 15.2 percentage points (CI, -19.6 to -10.9 percentage points), hospice duration decreased by 4.3 days (CI, -5.7 to -2.9 days), and in-home death decreased by 6.3 percentage points (CI, -11.2 to -1.5 percentage points) versus decedents with BMI of 20 kg/m2. LIMITATION: Baseline data were self-reported, and the interval between reported BMI and time of death varied. CONCLUSION: Among community-dwelling decedents in the HRS, increasing obesity was associated with reduced hospice use and in-home death and higher Medicare expenditures in the last 6 months of life. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program.

Sexual Health Concerns Among Cancer Survivors: Testing a Novel Information-Need Measure Among Breast and Prostate Cancer Patients.

While it is recognized that cancer treatment can contribute to problems in sexual function, much less is currently known about the specific sexual health concerns and information needs of cancer survivors. This study tested a new instrument to measure cancer survivors' sexual health concerns and needs for sexual information after cancer treatment. The Information on Sexual Health: Your Needs after Cancer (InSYNC), developed by a multidisciplinary team of experts, is a novel 12-item questionnaire to measure sexual health concerns and information needs of cancer survivors. We tested the measure with a sample of breast and prostate cancer survivors. A convenience sample of 114 cancer survivors (58 breast, 56 prostate) was enrolled. Results of the InSYNC questionnaire showed high levels of sexual concern among cancer survivors. Areas of concern differed by cancer type. Prostate cancer survivors were most concerned about being able to satisfy their partners (57 %) while breast cancer survivors were most concerned with changes in how their bodies worked sexually (46 %). Approximately 35 % of all cancer survivors wanted more information about sexual health. Sexual health concerns and unmet information needs are common among breast and prostate cancer survivors, varying in some aspects by type of cancer. Routine screening for sexual health concerns should be included in comprehensive cancer survivorship care to appropriately address health care needs. The InSYNC questionnaire is one tool that may help clinicians identify concerns facing their patients.

Hospital academic status and value of care for nonmetastatic colon cancer.

PURPOSE: The relationship between oncologic hospital academic status and the value of care for stage II and III colon cancer is unknown. METHODS: Retrospective SEER-Medicare analysis of patients age ≥ 66 years with stage II or III colon cancer and seen by medical oncology. Eligible patients were diagnosed 2000 to 2009 and followed through December 31, 2010. Hospitals reporting a major medical school affiliation in the NCI Hospital File were classified as academic medical centers. The association between hospital academic status and survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models. The association with mean cost of care was estimated using generalized linear models with log link and gamma family and with cost of care at various quantiles using quantile regression models. RESULTS: Of 24,563 eligible patients, 5,707 (23%) received care from academic hospitals. There were no significant differences in unadjusted disease-specific median survival or adjusted risk of colon cancer death by hospital academic status (stage II hazard ratio = 1.12; 95% CI, 0.98 to 1.28; P = .103; stage III hazard ratio = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.90 to 1.08; P = .763). Excepting patients at the upper limits of the cost distribution, there was no significant difference in adjusted cost by hospital academic status. CONCLUSION: We found no survival differences for elderly patients with stage II or III colon cancer, treated by a medical oncologist, between academic and nonacademic hospitals. Furthermore, cost of care was similar across virtually the full range of the cost distribution.

Effects of eliminating drug caps on racial differences in antidepressant use among dual enrollees with diabetes and depression.

PURPOSE: Black patients with diabetes are at greater risk of underuse of antidepressants even when they have equal access to health insurance. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of removing a significant financial barrier to prescription medications (drug caps) on existing black-white disparities in antidepressant treatment rates among patients with diabetes and comorbid depression. METHODS: We used an interrupted time series with comparison series design and a 5% representative sample of all fee-for-service Medicare and Medicaid dual enrollees to evaluate the removal of drug caps on monthly antidepressant treatment rates. We evaluated the impact of drug cap removal on racial gaps in treatment by modeling the month-to-month white-black difference in use within age strata (younger than 65 years of age or 65 years of age or older). We compared adult dual enrollees with diabetes and comorbid depression living in states with strict drug caps (n = 221) and those without drug caps (n = 1133) before the policy change. Our primary outcome measures were the proportion of patients with any antidepressant use per month and the mean standardized monthly doses (SMDs) of antidepressants per month. FINDINGS: The removal of drug caps in strict drug cap states was associated with a sudden increase in the proportion of patients treated for depression (4 percentage points; 95% CI, 0.03-0.05, P < 0.0001) and in the intensity of antidepressant use (SMD: 0.05; 95% CI, 0.03-0.07, P < 0.001). Although antidepressant treatment rates increased for both white and black patients, the white-black treatment gap increased immediately after Part D (0.04 percentage points; 95% CI, 0.01-0.08) and grew over time (0.04 percentage points per month; 95% CI, 0.002-0.01; P < 0.001). IMPLICATIONS: Policies that remove financial barriers to medications may increase depression treatment rates among patients with diabetes overall while exacerbating treatment disparities. Tailored outreach may be needed to address nonfinancial barriers to mental health services use among black patients with diabetes.

Vaginal Dryness and Beyond: The Sexual Health Needs of Women Diagnosed With Metastatic Breast Cancer.

While research on the sexual health of women with early stage cancer has grown extensively over the past decade, markedly less information is available to support the sexual health needs of women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 32 women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (ages 35 to 77) about questions they had concerning their sexual health and intimate relationships. All participants were recruited from a comprehensive cancer center at a large Midwestern university. Three themes were examined: the role of sexual activity and intimate touch in participants' lives, unmet information needs about sexual health, and communication with medical providers about sexual concerns. Findings indicated that sexual activities with partners were important; however, participants worried about their own physical limitations and reported frequent physical (e.g., bone pains) and vaginal pain associated with intercourse. When women raised concerns about these issues in clinical settings, medical providers often focused exclusively on vaginal lubricants, which did not address the entirety of women's problems or concerns. In addition, women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer reported needing additional resources about specialized vaginal lubricants, nonpenetrative and nongenitally focused sex, and sexual positions that did not compromise their physical health yet still provided pleasure.