Laura D. Cramer

Racial Differences in the Treatment of Early-Stage Lung Cancer

BACKGROUNDnIf discovered at an early stage, non-small-cell lung cancer is potentially curable by surgical resection. However, two disparities have been noted between black patients and white patients with this disease. Blacks are less likely to receive surgical treatment than whites, and they are likely to die sooner than whites. We undertook a population-based study to estimate the disparity in the rates of surgical treatment and to evaluate the extent to which this disparity is associated with differences in overall survival.nnnMETHODSnWe studied all black patients and white patients 65 years of age or older who were given a diagnosis of resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (stage I or II) between 1985 and 1993 and who resided in 1 of the 10 study areas of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program (10,984 patients). Data on the diagnosis, stage of disease, treatment, and demographic characteristics of the patients were obtained from the SEER data base. Information on coexisting illnesses, type of Medicare coverage, and survival was obtained from linked Medicare inpatient-discharge records.nnnRESULTSnThe rate of surgery was 12.7 percentage points lower for black patients than for white patients (64.0 percent vs. 76.7 percent, P<0.001), and the five-year survival rate was also lower for blacks (26.4 percent vs. 34.1 percent, P<0.001). However, among the patients undergoing surgery, survival was similar for the two racial groups, as it was among those who did not undergo surgery. Furthermore, analyses in which adjustments were made for factors that are predictive of either candidacy for surgery or survival did not alter the influence of race on these outcomes.nnnCONCLUSIONSnOur analyses suggest that the lower survival rate among black patients with early-stage, non-small-cell lung cancer, as compared with white patients, is largely explained by the lower rate of surgical treatment among blacks. Efforts to increase the rate of surgical treatment for black patients appear to be a promising way of improving survival in this group.

The Influence of Hospital Volume on Survival after Resection for Lung Cancer

BACKGROUNDnAmong patients who have undergone high-risk operations for cancer, postoperative mortality rates are often lower at hospitals where more of these procedures are performed. We undertook a population-based study to estimate the extent to which the number of procedures performed at a hospital (hospital volume) is associated with survival after resection for lung cancer.nnnMETHODSnWe studied patients 65 years old or older who received a diagnosis of stage I, II, or IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer between 1985 and 1996, resided in 1 of the 10 study areas covered by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, and underwent surgery at a hospital that participates in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2118 patients and 76 hospitals).nnnRESULTSnThe volume of procedures at the hospital was positively associated with the survival of patients (P<0.001). Five years after surgery, 44 percent of patients who underwent operations at the hospitals with the highest volume were alive, as compared with 33 percent of those who underwent operations at the hospitals with the lowest volume. Patients at the highest-volume hospitals also had lower rates of postoperative complications (20 percent vs. 44 percent) and lower 30-day mortality (3 percent vs. 6 percent) than those at the lowest-volume hospitals.nnnCONCLUSIONSnPatients who undergo resection for lung cancer at hospitals that perform large numbers of such procedures are likely to survive longer than patients who have such surgery at hospitals with a low volume of lung-resection procedures.

Re: Proton vs Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer: Patterns of Care and Early Toxicity

Over the past decade, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has become the standard form of radiotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer, accounting for more than 80% of all radiotherapy (1). Even as IMRT has been widely adopted, other radiotherapy modalities have come to market, most notably proton radiotherapy (PRT). Although PRT predates IMRT, dissemination of PRT has been increasing rapidly in recent years. In part because of its high capital cost, Medicare is reported to reimburse PRT at a rate 1.4 to 2.5 times that of IMRT (2–4), despite many unexplored questions. n nFirst, there is a lack of data regarding national patterns of use and the true cost of PRT among Medicare beneficiaries. Currently, there are only nine PRT centers in operation in the United States (5), and this relatively low treatment capacity limits costs. However, eight other centers are in development (5), along with smaller and more affordable proton machines (6), conceivably opening the door to more widespread adoption of PRT across the country. n nSecond, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review concluded unanimously that the state of current knowledge of comparative clinical effectiveness was “insufficient” (7,8). Because differences in cancer cure rates and survival from prostate cancer treatment often take many years to become evident, it has been suggested that initial study of prostate cancer treatments should focus on treatment-related toxicity (8). Proponents of PRT argue that the physical properties of protons may decrease the most common side effects associated with prostate radiotherapy—gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicity (9). Early outcomes from single-arm, prospective trials investigating PRT are forthcoming, indicating low levels of radiation-induced toxicity with early follow-up (10,11). However, IMRT itself has a robust literature describing excellent efficacy and low toxicity in the treatment of prostate cancer (12). Therefore, it is unclear that PRT offers a statistically significant benefit beyond IMRT. Prior studies investigating PRT in Medicare beneficiaries using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare database have been single-institution studies (13,14) and, therefore, are not of the whole country. These studies (13,14) noted a statistically significant reduction of gastrointestinal toxicity for patients undergoing IMRT compared with PRT. A comprehensive comparison of PRT with IMRT requires examination of the entire country for the most recent years available. n nAs more PRT centers become operational, it will be crucial for patients, providers, and policy makers to understand the cost and national pattern of adoption of PRT and the incidence of treatment-related toxicity compared with IMRT. Therefore, we used a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries with prostate cancer to investigate the patterns and cost of PRT delivery, as well as the early treatment-related toxicity associated with PRT compared with IMRT.

Comparing tumour staging and grading systems: a case study and a review of the issues, using thymoma as a model

We consider the problem of comparing alternative cancer staging and grading systems. Statistical comparisons are on the basis of the ability to predict survival, but more qualitative criteria, such as parsimony, and distinctive prognostic separability of the categories are relevant also. Furthermore, some staging systems are clearly ordinal, while others are not. Three candidate statistical measures are studied and compared: explained variation; area under the ROC curve; and the probability of concordance of stage and survival. Each of these has individual strengths and weaknesses. A data set involving the staging of thymoma is analysed in detail to motivate the problem and illustrate the results.

Cigarette smoking patterns in patients after treatment of bladder cancer

BACKGROUNDnAssessment of smoking status and identification of those most likely to continue smoking are important in the management of patients who have bladder cancer, because continued smoking following diagnosis and treatment increases the likelihood of treatment-related complications, recurrence, second primary malignancies, and morbidity and mortality.nnnMETHODSnPatients (n = 224) receiving follow-up care of previously treated bladder cancers completed a brief written survey assessing their post-diagnosis smoking patterns.nnnRESULTSnDespite the risks of continued smoking, 69% of the patients who had been active smokers at the time of diagnosis (n = 84) reported smoking at some point following the diagnosis and 45% reported smoking at the time of assessment. Patients diagnosed at earlier stages were more likely to continue smoking. Patients diagnosed at later stages were 2.80 times more likely to be continuous abstainers than those diagnosed sooner (95% CI, 1.08-7.25).nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe findings underscore the need to assess smoking status and provide smoking-cessation advice and counseling within routine comprehensive care of bladder cancer patients.

Prospective Exploratory Analysis of the Association Between Tumor Response, Quality of Life, and Expenditures Among Patients Receiving Paclitaxel Monotherapy for Refractory Metastatic Breast Cancer

PURPOSEnTo prospectively evaluate the association between tumor response, change in quality of life (QoL), and hospital expenditures in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) receiving single-agent paclitaxel.nnnPATIENTS AND METHODSnEligible patients had bidimensionally measurable MBC and any number of previous therapies, excluding taxane chemotherapy. Paclitaxel was administered by various different infusion schedules. QoL measures were evaluated for each patient at baseline and serially using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS)-Global Distress Index (GDI) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) instruments. Patients were assessed for early (first 6 weeks) and ever changes in QoL parameters. Charges were monitored through the hospitals centralized computer billing system and converted to cost ratios for the analysis. Correlations between response and improvement in QoL were assessed by Fishers exact test statistic. Associations between improvements in QoL with cost ratios were assessed by logistic regression and likewise between response and cost ratios.nnnRESULTSnOf the 59 patients treated, 50 had sufficient data for comparative analyses. The overall response rate was 24% (all partial responses). Minor responses were observed in 17% of patients, 25% had stable disease, and 29% had progression. Responding patients had significant improvement in QoL as assessed by MSAS-GDI (P =.004) and FACT-B (P =.028). The mean total cost/month ratios for patients experiencing improved GDI QoL scores was 1.31 versus 1.56 for those without QoL benefit (P =.52) and 1.05 versus 1.76 for responders versus nonresponders, respectively (P =.07).nnnCONCLUSIONnPatients with evidence of tumor response on paclitaxel had a QoL benefit not observed in nonresponders, and this response was associated with a trend for lower overall costs.