Metastatic urothelial carcinoma: fewer than half of patients receive systemic treatment

How are patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) treated in routine care? A study in Future Oncology, co-authored by Prof. Dr. Thomas Wilke (IPAM e.V.), analysed patients diagnosed with mUC between 2015 and 2019 in two German claims databases, AOK PLUS and GWQ.

Key findings

• 3,226 patients with mUC were analysed.

• Only 1,286 patients (39.9%) received systemic treatment within 12 months of diagnosis; 64.2% of them received platinum-based chemotherapy.

• Younger age, male sex, less comorbidity and a more recent diagnosis were associated with receiving treatment.

• Unadjusted median overall survival from diagnosis in treated patients was 13.7 months (AOK PLUS) and 13.8 months (GWQ).

The findings highlight a substantial unmet need for effective and tolerable treatment options for patients with mUC in Germany.

Niegisch G, Grimm M-O, Hardtstock F, Krieger J, Starry A, Osowski U, Guenther S, Deiters B, Maywald U, Wilke T, Kearney M. Future Oncology (2024) 20(19):1351-1366. Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.2217/fon-2023-1065