Impact of insurance on survival in patients < 65 with head & neck cancer treated with radiotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: The United States has a heterogenous health insurance landscape for patients <65 years. We sought to characterise the impact of primary payer on overall survival (OS) in insured patients younger than 65 with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with definitive radiotherapy. DESIGN/STUDY/PARTICIPANTS: The National Cancer Database was queried for patients <65 years old diagnosed from 2004 to 2014 undergoing definitive radiotherapy ± chemotherapy for cancers of the nasopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx. Uninsured patients and oropharyngeal cancers without known HPV status were excluded. MAIN OUTCOME: Overall survival. RESULTS: Overall, 27 292 insured patients were identified, including 17 060 (62.5%) with private insurance. Median follow-up was 52.1 months. In multivariable models, patients receiving Medicaid (HR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.57-1.75, P < .001), Medicare (HR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.55-1.73, P < .001) and other government insurance (HR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.29-1., P < .001) had independently increased mortality in comparison to those with private insurance. In propensity score-matched cohorts, 5-year OS was 65.5% vs 50.6% for privately vs government-insured patients, respectively (P < .001). In multivariable subgroup analysis, private insurance was associated with improved survival in all subgroups. However, the magnitude of this effect was most pronounced in patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer vs non-HPV-related cancer (interaction P < .001), younger patients (interaction P = .001), and those without comorbidity (interaction P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients <65 with HNSCC undergoing definitive radiation with private health insurance have markedly longer survival relative to patients with government-sponsored insurance. This illustrates that increasing access to care may be necessary, but is not sufficient, to mitigate the significant disparities in the US healthcare system.

Trends and variations in postmastectomy radiation therapy for breast cancer in patients with 1 to 3 positive lymph nodes: A National Cancer Data Base analysis.

BACKGROUND: High-level evidence is lacking to guide treatment decisions about postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) in patients who have breast cancer with 1 to 3 positive lymph nodes who receive contemporary systemic therapies, leading to potential variations in PMRT delivery. The objective of this study was to examine nationwide trends in PMRT use in this group. METHODS: The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was used to identify 93,372 women who had T1-T2N1 breast cancer diagnosed between 2003 and 2012. Patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy (RT) and those who had bilateral breast cancers were excluded. Time trends were evaluated using the Cochrane-Armitage test and correlated the receipt of PMRT with various patient demographic, facility, clinicopathologic, and treatment variables using multivariable logistic regression. A second analysis was performed for patients who were diagnosed during 2010 and included radiation oncologist density as an additional covariate. P values < .0001 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Overall, 22.5% of the study population received PMRT, representing an increase from 19.1% in 2003 to 30.3% in 2012. Factors associated with greater PMRT use included younger age, lower Charlson-Deyo comorbidity scores, shorter distance to the treating facility, treatment at a comprehensive cancer program, facility location in the New England Census division, and higher density of radiation oncologists. Increased PMRT use was associated with later year of diagnosis, receipt of chemotherapy, receipt of hormone therapy, higher grade disease, larger tumor size, greater numbers of positive lymph nodes, positive margins, and absence of immediate breast reconstruction (all P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The receipt of PMRT by patients with breast cancer who have 1 to 3 positive lymph nodes has increased over time, with wide variability in practice patterns in the United States. Cancer 2018;124:482-90. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer among patients aged 70 and older: Dramatically increased prevalence and clinical implications.

BACKGROUND: Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is increasing in incidence among older adults. However, the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in driving this trend and its prognostic significance in this population have not been established. METHODS: The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with OPSCC diagnosed from 2010 to 2015 undergoing either surgery or radiotherapy (RT) with known HPV status. Older adults were defined as those aged 70 years or older. RESULTS: Among 43,427 OPSCC patients, the proportion of HPV-positive OPSCC increased from 45.1% to 63.3% in older adults (P < 0.001). In 19,358 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for survival analyses, HPV positivity was associated with improved survival for older adults undergoing either definitive RT (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.55-0.72, P < 0.001) or surgery (HR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.25-0.53, P < 0.001) in multivariable analysis. In propensity score-matched cohorts, 3-year overall survival was 69.1% versus 55.5% (P < 0.001) in older adults with HPV-positive and HPV-negative OPSCC undergoing definitive RT, respectively, and 88.5% versus 69.1% (P = 0.001) for older adults undergoing surgery. Although HPV positivity was associated with improved survival among all age groups receiving RT, the magnitude of the effect diminished with increasing age (interaction P < 0.001). No interaction between age and the impact of HPV status on survival was seen for surgical patients (interaction P = 0.72). CONCLUSIONS: The epidemiologic landscape of HPV-positive OPSCC is evolving, with a dramatic increase in the proportion of HPV-associated OPSCC among patients 70 years or older. HPV remains a powerful predictor of improved survival in elderly patients, but with less pronounced effect on older adults undergoing definitive RT.