Use of new treatment modalities for non-small cell lung cancer care in the Medicare population

Chest. 2013 Feb 1;143(2):429-435. doi: 10.1378/chest.12-1149.

Abstract

Background: Many older patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) do not receive curative therapy. New surgical techniques and radiation therapy modalities, such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), potentially allow more patients to receive treatment. The adoption of these techniques and their impact on access to cancer care among Medicare beneficiaries with stage I NSCLC are unknown.

Methods: We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database to identify patients with stage I NSCLC diagnosed between 1998 and 2007. We assessed temporal trends and created hierarchical generalized linear models of the relationship between patient, clinical, and regional factors and type of treatment.

Results: The sample comprised 13,458 patients with a mean age of 75.7 years. The proportion of patients not receiving any local treatment increased from 14.6% in 1998 to 18.3% in 2007. The overall use of surgical resection declined from 75.2% to 67.3% ( P , .001), although the proportion of patients undergoing VATS increased from 11.3% to 32.0%. Similarly, although the use of new radiation modalities increased from 0% to 5.2%, the overall use of radiation remained stable. The oldest patients were less likely to receive surgical vs no treatment (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.09-0.16) and more likely to receive radiation vs surgery (OR, 13.61; 95% CI, 9.75-19.0).

Conclusion: From 1998 to 2007, the overall proportion of older patients with stage I NSCLC receiving curative local therapy decreased, despite the dissemination of newer, less-invasive forms of surgery and radiation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / therapy*
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Linear Models
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Lung Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Male
  • Medicare*
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Radiosurgery / statistics & numerical data*
  • Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated / statistics & numerical data*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • SEER Program
  • Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / statistics & numerical data*
  • United States