Amanda M. Farr

Overall survival in patients with metastatic melanoma

Abstract Introduction: Patients with regionally or distantly metastatic melanoma have poor long-term prognosis. The objective of this analysis was to describe survival rates among patients diagnosed with unresectable stage IIIB/C or stage IV melanoma. Methods: Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, patients diagnosed with unresectable stage IIIB/C and stage IV (M1a, M1b, M1c) melanoma between 2004 and 2009 were selected. Patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics were reported at the time of diagnosis. The outcome of the analysis was time from melanoma diagnosis to death. Survival was presented as 1 year, 2 year, and 3 year survival rates, and median overall survival. Results: A total of 1682 patients met the study criteria, with 4.4% at stage IIIB/IIIC, 12.6% at M1a, 17.4% at M1b, and 65.6% at M1c. The mean age was 64 years, 49.5% of patients were 64 years old or younger, 68.0% were male, and 91.7% were white. Patients at stage IIIB/IIIC had a median overall survival (OS) of 24.3 months, with a survival rate of 67.2% at 1 year, 42.9% at 2 years, and 32.1% at 3 years. For patients at stage M1a, the median OS was 22.3 months, 1 year, 2 year, and 3 year survival rates were 64.5%, 40.4%, and 26.4%, respectively; for patients at stage M1b, median OS was 11.2 months, 1 year, 2 year, and 3 year survival rates were 43.8%, 23.4%, and 13.8%, respectively; for patients at stage M1c, median OS was 5.1 months, and 1 year, 2 year, and 3 year survival rates were 22.3%, 8.9%, and 4.7%, respectively. Conclusions: Among patients diagnosed with unresectable metastatic melanoma from 2004 to 2009, patients at later stages had lower median overall survival and higher mortality rates than patients at earlier stages. Limitations of this analysis include the lack of information on disease progression, therapies used, and genetic factors.

Clinical and Economic Burden of Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-associated Vasculitis in the United States.

Objective. To describe the prevalence of major relapse and healthcare costs among patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA); to find patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) in administrative databases, because no MPA diagnosis code exists; and to describe the clinical and economic burden associated with MPA. Methods. Adults (≥ 18 yrs) with ≥ 2 diagnoses of GPA [International Classification of Diseases-9-Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM 446.4)] during 2009–2013 were extracted from the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental databases. Evidence of major relapse (based on the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score) and healthcare costs were collected during 12-month and 24-month followup periods. Adults with ≥ 2 diagnoses of unspecified arteritis (ICD-9-CM 447.6) were found as potential patients with MPA and additional criteria based on clinical input were applied to refine the sample. Major relapse-associated conditions and healthcare costs in the 6 months pre- and post-diagnosis were measured. Costs were inflated to 2013 US

Clinical and Economic Outcomes Associated With the Timing of Initiation of Basal Insulin in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Previously Treated With Oral Antidiabetes Drugs

. Results. A total of 2784 patients with GPA were found and 18.7% experienced a major relapse in the 12-month followup period. The patients with a major relapse incurred higher average all-cause (12-month:

Comparison of hospital length of stay between hospitalized non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients treated with either apixaban or warfarin

88,065 vs

The impact of persistence with therapy on inpatient admissions and emergency room visits in the US among patients with multiple sclerosis

30,682; p < 0.0001) and GPA-related costs (12-month:

Real-World Dosing Patterns of Atomoxetine in Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

61,636 vs

Risk of Cardiovascular Events Among Patients Initiating Efavirenz-Containing Versus Efavirenz-Free Antiretroviral Regimens

15,748; p < 0.0001) than patients without a relapse. Trends were consistent over the 24-month followup period. There were 612 incident patients with MPA. Following MPA diagnosis, healthcare costs nearly doubled (

Persistence, adherence, and all-cause healthcare costs in atazanavir- and darunavir-treated patients with human immunodeficiency virus in a real-world setting

30,166 vs

Cost-effectiveness of edoxaban versus rivaroxaban for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in the US

56,642; p < 0.0001). Conclusion. In a real-world setting, patients with GPA who experience major relapse have higher economic burden, compared to patients without a relapse. MPA diagnosis was associated with nearly a 2-fold increase in healthcare costs.

Treatment Sequencing Patterns And Costs of Care in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma

PURPOSE In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) not achieving glycemic targets using oral antidiabetes drugs (OADs), studies suggest that timely insulin initiation has clinical benefits. Insulin initiation at the early versus late stage of disease progression has not been explored in detail. This retrospective database analysis investigated clinical and economic outcomes associated with the timing of insulin initiation in patients with T2DM treated with ≥1 OAD in a real-world US setting. METHODS This study linked data from the Truven Health MarketScan(®) Commercial database, Medicare Supplemental database, and Quintiles Electronic Medical Records database. A total of 1830 patients with T2DM were included. Patients were grouped according to their OAD use before basal insulin initiation (1, 2, or ≥3 OADs) as a proxy for the timing of insulin initiation. Clinical and economic outcomes were evaluated over 1 year of follow-up. FINDINGS During follow-up the 1 OAD group, compared with the 2 and ≥3 OADs groups, had a greater reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (-1.7% vs -1.0% vs -0.9%, respectively; P < 0.0001), greater achievement of glycemic target (38.2% vs 26.7% vs 19.6%, respectively; P < 0.0001), and a lower incidence of hypoglycemia (2.7% vs 6.6% vs 5.0%, respectively; P = 0.0002), with no difference in total health care costs (