Real-World Treatment Patterns among Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer in South Korea.
- Author:
Gebra Cuyun CARTER
1
;
Anna KALTENBOECK
;
Jasmina IVANOVA
;
Astra M LIEPA
;
Alexandra SAN ROMAN
;
Maria KOH
;
Narayan RAJAN
;
Rebecca CHENG
;
Howard G BIRNBAUM
;
Jong Seok KIM
;
Yung Jue BANG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Clinical Trial ; Original Article
- Keywords: Treatment patterns; Stomach neoplasms; Republic of Korea; Resource use; Observational study
- MeSH: Analgesics; Antiemetics; Cardiovascular Diseases; Comorbidity; Delivery of Health Care; Diagnosis; Drug Therapy; Gastritis; Hospitalization; Humans; Inpatients; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Korea*; Liver; Lymph Nodes; Male; Nutritional Support; Observational Study; Outpatients; Peritoneum; Platinum; Republic of Korea; Stomach Neoplasms*
- From:Cancer Research and Treatment 2017;49(3):578-587
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to understand patient treatment patterns, outcomes, and healthcare resource use in cases of metastatic and/or locally recurrent, unresectable gastric cancer (MGC) in South Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty physicians reviewed charts of eligible patients to collect de-identified data. Patients must have received platinum/fluoropyrimidine first-line therapy followed by second-line therapy or best supportive care, had no other primary cancer, and not participated in a clinical trial following MGC diagnosis. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to describe survival. RESULTS: Of 198 patients, 73.7% were male, 78.3% were diagnosed with MGC after age 55 (mean, 61.3 years), and 47.0% were current or former smokers. The majority of tumorswere located in the antrum/pylorus (51.5%). Metastatic sites most often occurred in the peritoneum (53.5%), lymph nodes (47.5%), and liver (38.9%). At diagnosis, the mean Charlson comorbidity indexwas 0.4 (standard deviation, 0.6). The most common comorbidities were chronic gastritis (22.7%) and cardiovascular disease (18.7%). Most patients (80.3%) received second-line treatment. Single-agent fluoropyrimidine was reported for 22.0% of patients, while 19.5% were treated with irinotecan and a fluoropyrimidine or platinum agent. The most common physician-reported symptoms during second-line treatment were nausea/vomiting (44.7%) and pain (11.3%), with antiemetics (44.7%), analgesics (36.5%), and nutritional support (11.3%) most often used as supportive care. Two-thirds of inpatient hospitalizations were for chemotherapy infusion. Outpatient hospitalization (31.6%) and visits to the oncologist (58.8%) were common among second-line patients. CONCLUSION: Most patients received second-line treatment, although regimens varied. Understanding MGC patient characteristics and treatment patterns in South Korea will help address unmet needs.
