Factors associated with time to EGFR TKI treatment in patients with non-squamous metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer

• Published in: Future oncology (London, England) England), 2022-04, Vol.18 (13), p.1535-1544
• Main Authors: Marrett, Elizabeth, Kwong, Winghan Jacqueline, Chow, Laura Qm
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African–Americans; carcinoma; EGFR TKI; health services accessibility; Medicare Part D; non-small-cell lung cancer; rural population; SEER; time-to-treatment
• ISSN: 1479-6694; 1744-8301
• DOI: 10.2217/fon-2021-1452

Assess factors associated with EGFR TKI initiation among patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC). Medicare Part D patients diagnosed with non-squamous mNSCLC and starting an EGFR TKI within 1 year of diagnosis were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database. Associations between patient characteristics and time from diagnosis to treatment initiation (time-to-treatment [TTT]) were analyzed. Among the sample (n = 890), the patients who were younger, African–American or from rural communities had significantly longer TTT. Patients who did not receive surgery, who were Asian and those with brain metastases had significantly shorter TTT. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics may affect timeliness of EGFR TKI treatment for mNSCLC. Future research should examine potential barriers to treatment. This study aimed to identify factors that may affect the time to initiate treatment with a product in the EGFR TKI class of drugs for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC). We used an anonymized database that combines health information on cancer patients (SEER) with insurance claims information for Medicare Part D patients. Our study included 890 patients. We found that patients who were younger, African–American or from rural communities had longer times to starting treatment. Patients who did not receive surgery, who were Asian and those with cancer that had spread to the brain had notably shorter times to starting treatment. Further research should examine potential barriers that may contribute to treatment initiation delay. #RWE study finds patients with #metastatic non-small-cell #lungcancer who were younger, African–American or from rural communities had longer time-to-treatment initiation with #EGFR TKIs. Time to initiation was shorter for patients with no surgery, who were Asian or with brain metastases.