Treatment patterns, resource use and cost-of-illness of advanced non-small lung cancer in Brazilian private institutions

Abstract

Objective: In Brazil, data on clinical and economic burden of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are scarce. Therefore, we conducted this study to gather real-world data on treatment patterns and resource use for advanced NSCLC (aNSCLC) patients in Brazilian private institutions. Methods: We collected data from medical charts from six private institutions in Brazil. Eligible patients were diagnosed with advanced or recurrent NSCLC (stages IIIB and IV) between January 2011 and July 2014, and had received at least two lines of chemotherapy. Data were summarized using descriptive statis[1]tics and costs estimated by bottom-up approach. Results: Out of 430 charts screened, 152 were eli[1]gible for data collection. Patients’ median age was 62 years, 55.9% were male. Among patients, 57.2% and 31.6% had received three and four treatment lines, respectively. Sixteen and twenty regimens were used as first and second-line treatments, respectively. Bevacizumab + carboplatin + paclitaxel (n = 32; 21.1%) was the most frequent first-line regimens, while docetaxel (n = 36; 23.7%) the most common second-line regimen. Hospitalizations and ER visits were recorded from 52% and 25% of the patients, respectively. Total cohort costs were R$ 47,692,195.1 (US$ 14,803,425.4). Conclusions: Treatment patterns for patients with aNSCLC in Brazilian private institutions are heterogeneous. The observed high resource use and costs among aNSCLC patients have a significant economic impact to the Brazilian private healthcare system.