ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The majority of breast cancer patients in Mexico are treated through the public health system and >80% receive adjuvant chemotherapy. The aim of this prospective study was to characterize the impact of the Oncotype DX assay on adjuvant therapy decision making and the confidence in those decisions amongst public sector physicians in Mexico. METHODS: Ninety-eight consecutive patients with ER+, HER2-, stage I-IIIa, N0/N1-3 node-positive breast cancer from the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología were eligible for the study. The primary endpoint was the overall change in treatment recommendations after receiving the assay results. RESULTS: Of 96 patients, 48% received a chemohormonal therapy recommendation prior to testing. Following receipt of results, treatment decisions changed for 31/96 (32%) patients, including 17/62 (27%) node-negative patients and 14/34 (41%) node-positive patients. The proportion of patients with a chemotherapy-based recommendation decreased from 48% pre- to 34% post-assay (P=0.024). 92% of physicians agreed that they were more confident in their treatment recommendation after ordering the assay. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that use of the 21-gene assay in the Mexican public health system has a meaningful impact on adjuvant treatment recommendations that may reduce the overall use of chemotherapy.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/therapy , Decision Making , Gene Expression Profiling , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Attitude of Health Personnel , Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant/methods , Female , Hospitals, Public , Humans , Lymphatic Metastasis , Mexico , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Receptors, Estrogen/metabolismABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: In Mexico, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality among females. For patients with advanced breast cancer (ABC) resistant to anthracyclines and taxanes (AT), there are limited treatment options. There is a scarcity of data regarding clinical management of this population and treatment costs at this stage of the disease. The objective of this study was to describe the treatment patterns of care for metastatic breast cancer after AT and the associated cost from the point-of-view of the Mexican Public Health Care Sector. METHODS: Between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007, a retrospective cohort of adult female ABC patients resistant to AT was developed by reviewing and extracting key data from medical charts. We conducted a retrospective, transversal and descriptive analysis of the patient data. Target population data files were obtained from 414 patients from 3 public hospitals in México. RESULTS: Capecitabine, vinorelbine and cyclophosphamide were the most commonly prescribed agents, however clinical drug therapy management of the disease was different within and among the three hospitals included in the study. This difference translated into a disparity of prescription costs, ranging from an average of $122.22 pesos/patient/month (cyclophosphamide, IC 95% $94.43-$150.01) to $37,835.53 pesos/patient/month (capecitabine+trastuzumab IC 95% $34,953.18-$40,717.88) for the first treatment after AT. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight a lack of standardized care for patients and suggest that differences in treatment patterns are not only a reflection of scarcity of scientific data and diversity of prescription preferences among physicians but also of economic restrictions. Ultimately, there is a clear unmet medical need to be addressed through evidence-based medicine alternatives that support efficacy and cost effectiveness treatments.
