OBJECTIVE: To describe real-world treatment patterns and outcomes (e.g. survival; health care resource use [HCRU]) in the United Kingdom (UK) for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) not amenable to surgery or radiotherapy.
METHODS: UK-based physicians completed a web-based medical record abstraction for patients ≥18 years old with a diagnosis of advanced STS (other than Kaposi's sarcoma or gastrointestinal stromal tumors) from 1/1/2005 to 2/7/2014 who received ≥1 line(s) of systemic therapy for this cancer. Clinical characteristics, treatments, vital status, and HCRU were recorded.
RESULTS: Twenty-one physicians provided data for 199 patients. Patients' mean age at advanced STS diagnosis was 56.5 (±12.4) years, and 63% were male. Most common histologic subtypes were leiomyosarcoma (31%), rhabdomyosarcoma (17%), and fibroblastic sarcoma (12%). 38% of patients had >1 line and 6% had >2 lines of therapy, with the most common drugs across lines of therapy being doxorubicin (75%), ifosfamide (35%), gemcitabine (25%) and docetaxel (23%). Median survival estimates from start of first- and second-line therapy were 19 and 14 months, respectively. Across regimens, mean (SD) drug, administration, and treatment-related adverse event costs (in 2015 British Pound Sterling) for first-line therapy were £5,998 (£8,293), £3,201 (£2,146), and £272 (£1,056), and from second-line therapy onward (until death or end of follow-up; n=75) were £13,949 (£14,490), £3,703 (£2,437), and £637 (£1,918), respectively. From third-line therapy onward (n=11), these costs were £21,120 (£21,423), £3,959 (£2,906), and £755 (£2,503), respectively. Finally, the mean (SD) cost of all other health care services (medical and supportive care) was £1,050 (£3,252) after discontinuation of first-line therapy and £889 (£2,832) after discontinuation of second-line therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective medical record abstraction provides real-world data on outcomes associated with treatment of advanced STS in the UK. Improving survival and reducing the economic burden of patients with advanced STS remain critical unmet needs.
