Healthcare Resource Utilization and Costs Among Commercially Insured Patients With Advanced or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer Initiating First-Line Therapy in the United States

Abstract

**Background:** Endometrial cancer (EC) represents a substantial economic burden for patients in the United States. Patients with advanced or recurrent EC have a much poorer prognosis than patients with early-stage EC. Data on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs for patients with advanced or recurrent EC specifically are lacking. **Objectives:** To describe HCRU and costs associated with first-line (1L) therapy for commercially insured patients with advanced or recurrent EC in the United States. **Methods:** This was a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with advanced or recurrent EC using the MarketScan® database. Treatment characteristics, HCRU, and costs were assessed from the first claim in the patient record for 1L therapy for advanced or recurrent EC (index) until initiation of a new anti-cancer therapy, disenrollment from the database, or the end of data availability. Baseline demographics were determined during the 12 months before the patient’s index date. **Results:** A total of 7932 patients were eligible for inclusion. Overall, mean age at index was 61 years, most patients (77.3%) had received prior surgery for EC, and the most common 1L regimen was carboplatin/paclitaxel (59.1%). During the observation period, most patients had at least one healthcare visit (all-cause, 99.9%; EC-related, 82.8%), most commonly outpatient visits (all-cause, 91.4%; EC-related, 68.7%). The highest mean (SD) costs (US dollars) were for inpatient hospitalization for both all-cause and EC-related events ($8396 \[$15,130\] and $9436 \[$16,784\], respectively). Total costs were higher for patients with a diagnosis of metastasis at baseline than for those without a diagnosis of metastasis. **Discussion:** For patients with advanced or recurrent EC in the United States, 1L therapy is associated with considerable HCRU and economic burden. They are particularly high for patients with metastatic disease. **Conclusions:** This study highlights the need for new cost-effective treatments for patients with newly diagnosed advanced or recurrent EC.