IHE releases first results of an ongoing research project, called “Diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer but not treated” at ESMO Congress 2021.
Drug treatment options in advanced NSCLC have multiplied in recent years with the introduction of targeted therapy and immunotherapy and rapidly changed the standard of care. Measuring if eligible patients have access to treatment – both established treatment options as well as new treatment options – is vital to assess quality in cancer care.
Drug treatment rates, i.e., the proportion of eligible patients treated, in advanced NSCLC exhibit large variations in Europe from as low as 37% in the UK to 86% in Portugal in 2020. Even in countries with the highest treatment rates, patients did not seem to receive optimal treatment compared to ESMO guidelines, as under use of both targeted therapy and immunotherapy was common.
This means that many NSCLC patients in Europe receive either no drug treatment or outdated drug treatment options compared to ESMO guidelines, even though improvements have been achieved over time.
Low treatment rates could mainly be improved by earlier diagnosis, faster time to treatment, and broadening the clinical eligibility criteria for receiving drug treatment.
Use of outdated treatment options could mainly be amended by faster local reimbursement of novel drugs, higher public drug budgets, and improved testing infrastructure.
For more information, please contact Thomas Hofmarcher
Title: Diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer but not treated
Name of authors: Thomas Hofmarcher, Peter Lindgren, Nils Wilking
Name of Conference: ESMO Congress 2021
Date: September 16, 2021
Type of presentation: Poster presentation, 1346P