Incidence, Prevalence, and Symptom Burden Associated With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma in Commercially Insured Population (Pharmetrics)

Incidence, Prevalence, and Symptom Burden Associated With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma in Commercially Insured Population (Pharmetrics)

Information on the prevalence of advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma and its symptom burden is limited in commercially insured adult patients. Additionally, limited information exists on economic burden of adverse events associated with treatments for advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma. An objective of the current study is to estimate the incidence, prevalence, and symptom burden associated with advanced/metastatic RCC in a US "real-world" setting. Another objective is to quantify the economic burden of severe adverse events with agents used in management of first line advanced/metastatic RCC (sunitinib, sorafenib, bevacizumab, and pazopanib). This study will employ a retrospective cohort design. Analyses of health insurance claims data from a large commercially insured population will be employed in the current study. Study subjects will consist of all persons, aged ≥18 years, with evidence of advanced RCC between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2009; these persons will be identified based in part on case-ascertainment algorithms. Analyses will be directed at estimating annual rates of incidence and prevalence of advanced/metastatic RCC, as well as symptom burden and costs of common severe adverse events associated with treatments used in management of advanced/metastatic RCC (sunitinib, sorafenib, bevacizumab, and pazopanib).

Inclusion Criteria:

• two or more medical encounters with a diagnosis of kidney cancer (ICD-9-CM 189.0) or malignant neoplasm of the renal pelvis (189.1), and
• two or more medical encounters with a diagnosis of distant secondary malignant neoplasm (ICD-9-CM 197.XX-199.0, excluding 198.0 [kidney metastasis]) on different days <120 days apart (the date of the earliest such encounter will be designated the "index date").

Exclusion Criteria:

• evidence of receipt of chemotherapeutic agents indicated or used in the treatment of advanced TCC, or
• evidence of cystoscopy, biopsy of the bladder, or radical cystectomy
• evidence of any other primary cancer