Real-World Treatment Patterns and Effectiveness of Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Nationwide Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Treatment landscape for advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC) has evolved quickly and few data about the real-world treatment patterns are available. This study aimed at describing the real-world treatment patterns and effectiveness of all systemic treatments available for aRCC in first and second-line treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cohort of patients initiating a first-line systemic treatment for aRCC in 2016 was extracted from the French nationwide healthcare insurance system database (SNDS). The first-line treatment initiation date constituted the index date and patients were followed until death, loss to follow-up, or December 31, 2019, whichever occurred first. aRCC was identified using hospital diagnosis, long-term disease, or renal biopsy before index date. All analyses were performed for first and second-line treatment. Overall survival (OS) and time-to-next treatment or death (TNT-D) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier approach. RESULTS: In 2016, 1629 patients initiated a first-line treatment for aRCC. Most of them were male (75.9%) and the median age was 67 years. Most of patients (91.7%) had received a tyrosine kinase inhibitor as first-line treatment, mainly sunitinib (64.4%), and 53.5% received a second-line, among which 43.7% nivolumab. Median OS (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 20.7 (95% CI:18.2-22.4) months from first-line treatment initiation and 15.4 (13.9-17.5) months from second-line treatment initiation. Median TNT-D were respectively 9.3 (9.7-12.1) months and 6.9 (5.9-7.7) months. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the limited survival of aRCC patients These results provide a valuable baseline and highlight the need for innovation, such as immune checkpoint inhibitor-based combinations that have recently became first-line standard of care.

Challenges in conducting fractional polynomial and standard parametric network meta-analyses of immune checkpoint inhibitors for first-line advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Aim: Network meta-analyses (NMAs) increasingly feature time-varying hazards to account for non-proportional hazards between different drug classes. This paper outlines an algorithm for selecting clinically plausible fractional polynomial NMA models. Methods: The NMA of four immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) + tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and one TKI therapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) served as case study. Overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) data were reconstructed from the literature, 46 models were fitted. The algorithm entailed a-priori face validity criteria for survival and hazards, based on clinical expert input, and predictive accuracy against trial data. Selected models were compared with statistically best-fitting models. Results: Three valid PFS and two OS models were identified. All models overestimated PFS, the OS model featured crossing ICI + TKI versus TKI curves as per expert opinion. Conventionally selected models showed implausible survival. Conclusion: The selection algorithm considering face validity, predictive accuracy, and expert opinion improved the clinical plausibility of first-line RCC survival models.

Population characteristics, management, and survival outcomes in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma undergoing radical resection: the MINOTAUR study.

PURPOSE: To describe the incidence, management, and survival outcomes of patients with muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC) undergoing radical surgery (RS) in France. METHODS: We relied on a non-interventional real-world retrospective study based on French National Hospitalization Database. Adults with MIUC with a first RS between 2015 and 2020 were selected. Subpopulations of patients with RS performed in 2015 and 2019 (pre-COVID-19) were extracted, according to cancer site: muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) or upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Disease-free and overall survival (DFS, OS - Kaplan-Meier) were assessed on the 2015 subpopulation. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2020, 21,295 MIUC patients underwent a first RS. Of them, 68.9% had MIBC, 28.9% UTUC, and 2.2% both cancers. Apart from fewer men among UTUC (70.2%) than MIBC patients (90.1%), patients' demographic (mean age ~ 73 years) and clinical characteristics were similar whatever the cancer site or year of first RS. In 2019, RS alone was the most frequent treatment, occurring in 72.3% and 92.6% in MIBC and UTUC, respectively. Between 2015 and 2019, neoadjuvant use rate increased from 13.8% to 22.2% in MIBC, and adjuvant use rate increased from 3.7% to 6.3% in UTUC. Finally, median [95% confidence interval] DFS times were 16.0 [14.0-18.0] and 27.0 [23.0-32.0] months among MIBC and UTUC, respectively. CONCLUSION: Among patients with resected MIUC annually, RS alone remained the main treatment. Neoadjuvant and adjuvant use increased between 2015 and 2019. Nonetheless, MIUC remains of poor prognosis, highlighting an unmet medical need, notably among patients at high risk of recurrence.

A Comparison of Alternative Network Meta-Analysis Methods in the Presence of Nonproportional Hazards: A Case Study in First-Line Advanced or Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Network meta-analysis (NMA) of time-to-event outcomes based on constant hazard ratios can result in biased findings when the proportional hazards (PHs) assumption does not hold in a subset of trials. We aimed to summarize the published non-PH NMA methods for time-to-event outcomes, demonstrate their application, and compare their results. METHODS: The following non-PH NMA methods were compared through an illustrative case study in oncology of 4 randomized controlled trials in terms of progression-free survival and overall survival: (1) 1-step or (2) 2-step multivariate NMAs based on traditional survival distributions or fractional polynomials, (3) NMAs with restricted cubic splines for baseline hazard, and (4) restricted mean survival NMA. RESULTS: For progression-free survival, the PH assumption did not hold across trials and non-PH NMA methods better reflected the relative treatment effects over time. The most flexible models (fractional polynomials and restricted cubic splines) fit better to the data than the other approaches. Estimated hazard ratios obtained with different non-PH NMA methods were similar at 5 years of follow-up but differed thereafter in the extrapolations. Although there was no strong evidence of PH violation for overall survival, non-PH NMA methods captured this uncertainty in the relative treatment effects over time. CONCLUSIONS: When the PH assumption is questionable in a subset of the randomized controlled trials, we recommend assessing alternative non-PH NMA methods to estimate relative treatment effects for time-to-event outcomes. We propose a transparent and explicit stepwise model selection process considering model fit, external constraints, and clinical validity. Given inherent uncertainty, sensitivity analyses are suggested.

A Review of Overall Survival Extrapolations of Immune-Checkpoint Inhibitors Used in Health Technology Assessments by the French Health Authorities.

OBJECTIVES: Extrapolation is often required to inform cost-effectiveness (CE) evaluations of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) since survival data from pivotal clinical trials are seldom complete. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of estimates of long-term overall survival (OS) predicted in French CE assessment reports of ICIs, and to identify models presenting the best fit to the observed long-term survival data. METHODS: A systematic review of French assessment reports of ICIs in the metastatic setting since inception until May 2020 was performed. A targeted literature review was conducted to collect associated extended follow-up of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) used in the CE assessment reports. Difference between projected and observed OS was calculated. A range of standard parametric and spline-based models were applied to the extended follow-up data from the RCT to determine the best-fitting survival models. RESULTS: Of the 121 CE assessment reports published, 11 reports met the inclusion criteria. OS was underestimated in 73 percent of the CE assessment reports. The mean relative difference between each source was -13 percent (median: -15 percent; IQR: -0.4 to 26 percent). Models providing the best fit were those that could reflect nonmonotonic hazards. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the available data at the time of submission, longer-term survival of ICIs was not fully captured by the extrapolation models used in CE assessments. Standard and flexible parametric models which can capture nonmonotonic hazard functions provided the best fit to the extended follow-up data. However, these models may still have performed poorly if fitted to survival data available at the time of submission to the French National Authority for Health.

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors and candidate surrogate endpoints for overall survival across tumour types: A systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: Surrogate endpoints (SEs) for overall survival (OS) are specific to therapeutic class. The objective of this review was to document all alternative endpoints studied for their association with OS in Immune-Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI)-treated patients. METHODS: We searched PubMed and Embase for publications reporting the association between a clinical endpoint and OS in ICI-treated populations from 01/01/2003 to 03/31/2018. RESULTS: Out of 6,335 references identified, 24 were selected. Only 3 studies assessed surrogacy at both the patient and trial levels. The main traditional alternative endpoints included progression-free survival (N = 10) and objective response rate (N = 8). New alternative endpoints, such as durable response rate (N = 1) and intermediate response endpoint (N = 1) statistically better correlate with OS in the cancer types analysed. CONCLUSION: Based on the published evidence, there is insufficient data to support validated SE for OS. Adequate surrogacy assessment of promising composite endpoints which consider a duration component is encouraged.

[Regional differences in hospitalisations for complications of chronic hepatitis C in 2012]. / Disparités régionales des hospitalisations pour complication de l'hépatite chronique C en 2012.

Objective: Only limited recent information is available concerning the regional incidence and prevalence of chronic hepatitis C (CHC), but this information is critical for optimal definition of public health policies for the management of hepatitis C. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of mapping potential regional differences in the prevalence of CHC and its complications using data from a health administrative database. Methods: The 2012 PMSI MCO hospital database contains information on diagnosis and healthcare resource use, essentially related to all hospitalisations in France. Hospital stays related to CHC were identified on the basis of ICD-10 disease codes. Hospital stays were classified according to stage of liver disease: non-cirrhotic liver disease, compensated cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). All study variables were documented for each French administrative region in 2012. Results: In 2012, 12,040 patients were hospitalised in France for a reason related to CHC, corresponding to a standardised age- and gender- adjusted prevalence rate of 19.3/100,000 persons. The highest prevalences of CHC and HCC were observed in the Ile de France, Alsace and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur regions. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of using the PMSI database to identify regional differences in the prevalence of CHC. This information may be useful for planning regional healthcare resource provision for CHC.

Chronic hepatitis C: Burden of disease and cost associated with hospitalisations in France in 2012 (The HEPC-LONE study).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This retrospective hospital database analysis aimed to determine the burden and cost of hospitalisations related to chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infections in France in 2012. METHODS: All hospital stays with CHC (ICD-10 code B18.2) coded as the principal, related or significantly associated diagnosis were extracted from the French National Hospital database 2012 (PMSI). Hospitalisations not directly related to CHC were excluded. Patients were assigned to a liver disease stage, namely non-cirrhotic liver disease, compensated cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma or post-liver transplantation. Costing was performed using French national tariffs and expressed in 2013 Euros. We documented 22,056 hospital stays involving 12,040 patients who were considered to be directly related to CHC. Of these stays, 11,779 (53.4%) were documented in patients with severe complications (decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma or liver transplantation). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The mean number and duration of hospital stays increased with disease severity. Overall, 1181 patients (9.8%) died during hospitalisation. The total cost of hospital stays for CHC was estimated to be € 61 million, of which 26.4% were attributable to hepatocellular carcinoma, 32.5% to post-liver transplantation and 21.0% to decompensated cirrhosis. Compared with a previous analysis in 2009, the number of patients hospitalised fell by 22%, although the patients hospitalised were overall more severely ill. The total cost of hospitalisation decreased by 8%, with a notably marked reduction in the number of biopsies performed (32%). This study illustrates the persistently high burden of CHC infections in France.

Smoking and dietary factors associated with moderate-to-severe acne in French adolescents and young adults: results of a survey using a representative sample.

BACKGROUND: Dietary factors and smoking play a role in acne. METHODS: CSA Santé conducted a survey in France in 2012. Each individual answered a questionnaire to report acne, with associated epidemiological variables. Data on subjects between 15 and 24 years of age were extracted. The characteristics of subjects reporting acne were compared to subjects reporting no acne, using univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The daily consumption of chocolate and sweets was independently and highly associated with acne, with an odds ratio of 2.38 (95% CI: 1.31-4.31). Smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day was highly associated with no acne, with an odds ratio of 0.44 (95% CI: 0.30-0.66). The regular use of cannabis was associated with acne, with an odds ratio of 2.88 (95% CI: 1.55-5.37). CONCLUSION: Chocolate, sweets and cannabis smoking are associated with acne. We found tobacco to be protective. We failed to investigate the respective roles of sugar, lipids and milk.

The burden of osteoarthritis: development and validation of a new assessment tool (BONe'S).

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a specific individual burden questionnaire, BONe'S (Burden of Osteoarthritis New Scale), assessing osteoarthritis (OA) patients in the broadest sense. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Items included in BONe'S were identified by literature review, and patient/healthcare practitioner interviews, and refined via item reduction and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's α; concurrent validity was assessed by calculating the correlation between BONe'S and the Short Form (SF)-12 Health Survey and Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI). Discriminant validity was analyzed by age, gender and number of OA locations. RESULTS: From an initial list of 56 items, the final BONe'S questionnaire consisted of 20 questions (5 dimensions) based on EFA. BONe'S was evaluated in patients with OA (n = 200; mean age 69.4 ± 7.0 years, 86% of patients aged >60 years, 91.5% women). BONe'S demonstrated excellent internal coherence (Cronbach's α: 0.86). Individual BONe'S dimensions correlated well with the overall BONe'S score (highest: 'Independence' [r = 0.91]; lowest: 'Hygiene & Beauty' [r = 0.56]), and to each other dimension, and also correlated well (inversely) with the SF-12 and, to a slightly lesser extent, the PGWBI. The only exception was 'Budget', but this dimension was important and relevant in the subpopulation of active OA patients (r = 0.40). The mean BONe'S score for subjects with one or two affected joints was significantly lower than for subjects with three or more affected joints. The BONe'S score also differed according to gender and age. The original French BONe'S has also been adapted (linguistically and culturally) to English, Russian and Portuguese. Limitations include the fact that BONe'S was developed in a predominantly female population, in patients receiving a pharmacological intervention, has not been evaluated in a large population and has not been compared with other OA tools, including WOMAC, Lequesne and KOOS. CONCLUSION: The BONe'S questionnaire is a short (20-item) validated tool for evaluating the specific individual burden of OA in a holistic manner.

Difficulty associated with donning medical compression stockings: results from a survey comparing two different compression stockings.

AIM: Although medical compression stockings (MCSs) represent the cornerstone of conservative treatment for patients with chronic venous disease, high rates of noncompliance exist. This study compared comfort levels and the difficulty associated with putting on/removing two different MCSs; a conventional degressive MCS (ankle pressure: 24-28 mmHg; calf pressure: 14-18 mmHg) and a progressive MCS (ankle pressure: 8-12 mmHg; calf pressure: 21-25 mmHg). PATIENTS & METHODS: Women wearing class III MCSs in the past 3 months were recruited from across France to complete an at-home, investigator-led questionnaire, designed to evaluate their experience with putting on/taking off MCSs. Patients were randomized to two groups (group 1: controls, degressive stocking right leg, then left leg; group 2: degressive stocking right leg, then progressive stocking left leg). RESULTS & CONCLUSION: Patients (n = 102) in group 1 (controls) reported no differences after wearing the degressive MCS on the right leg then the left leg. By contrast, group 2 patients (n = 118) reported statistically significant improvements with the progressive MCS compared with the degressive MCS in all questionnaire parameters, including 'comfort' and 'ease of putting on/taking off' dimensions. Progressive MCSs were associated with significantly better outcomes (ease of putting on/taking off and comfort) than the conventional MCSs.