Purpose: In Europe, pancreatic cancer (PC) accounts for approximately 2.6% of all new cancer cases and is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death. Despite substantial morbidity and mortality, limited data are available describing real-world treatment patterns and health care resource use in any European country. We evaluated PC-related treatment patterns and associated health care resource use among patients with metastatic PC in the United Kingdom and France.
Methods: One hundred three oncology specialists (53 in France and 50 in the United Kingdom) abstracted data from medical records of 400 patients whom they treated for metastatic PC. Eligible patients had a diagnosis of metastatic PC at age 18 years or older between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2012; had ≥3 months of follow-up time beginning at metastatic diagnosis; and received at least 1 cancer-directed therapy for metastatic disease. Information on patient demographics, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, location of primary tumor, presence of comorbidities, adverse events, and complications were collected. Data on cancer-directed treatments and supportive care measures were evaluated. All analyses were descriptive.
Findings: Approximately two thirds of patients were men, and median age at metastatic disease diagnosis was 62.2 years. Nearly all patients (97.3%) received chemotherapy to treat metastatic disease, 9.3% received radiation therapy, and 7.8% received a targeted therapy. Overall, the most frequently administered first-line regimens for metastatic disease were gemcitabine alone (46.0%), a combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of oxaliplatin, irinotecan, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFIRINOX; 20.1%); gemcitabine/capecitabine (10.8%); and gemcitabine/oxaliplatin (9.5%). Approximately 40% of patients in France and 15% of patients in the United Kingdom received second-line systemic therapy, whereas 20% of patients in France and 3.4% of patients in the United Kingdom received third-line systemic therapy for metastatic disease. Overall, 52.5% of patients experienced at least one complication of PC. More than two thirds of patients had ≥1 office visit unrelated to chemotherapy administration, 54.0% had ≥1 inpatient hospitalization, 36.8% had ≥1 emergency department visit, and 25.3% had ≥1 pain management clinic visit. A total of 26.5% of patients in France and 42.5% in the United Kingdom entered hospice or long-term care.
Implications: This study provides new, detailed information for patients with metastatic PC in real-world settings in 2 European countries. A small proportion of patients received >1 line of systemic therapy for metastatic disease, which is likely due to the aggressiveness of this disease and the lack of effective therapeutic options.
Keywords: chemotherapy; health resources; outcomes assessment; pancreatic adenocarcinoma; retrospective studies.
Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.