Real-world costs, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes associated with treatments for advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

backgroundAlectinib, brigatinib, and lorlatinib are all preferred first-line (1L) therapies for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. Although clinical trials have demonstrated their efficacy, real-world evidence on treatment patterns, costs, and outcomes may help differentiate these therapies and inform optimal 1L treatment selection in the absence of head-to-head comparisons.

objectiveTo evaluate real-world outcomes for patients with ALK+ NSCLC receiving 1L ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), focusing on drug acquisition costs, health care utilization, and clinical outcomes.

methodsThis retrospective observational cohort study used data from Optum's deidentified Clinformatics Data Mart Database (2016-2021). Patients were identified using

resultsAmong 696 patients, the 1L therapy distribution was crizotinib (n = 366), alectinib (n = 267), brigatinib (n = 22), ceritinib (n = 25), and lorlatinib (n = 16). Total PPPM costs were $28,216 (SD: $29,017). Average 30-day supply costs for ALK TKIs were $17,766 (SD: $2,797). Median OS was 25.5 months (95% CI: 21.1-32.5), and median TTD for 1L therapy was 8.0 months (95% CI: 6.4-9.6). Only 24.3% of patients transitioned to another ALK TKI in a second-line (2L) setting, highlighting high discontinuation rates. Alectinib and lorlatinib were the most common 2L therapies.

conclusionsThis study highlights the economic burden and variable clinical outcomes among patients with advanced ALK+ NSCLC. These real-world estimates inform cost-effectiveness analyses and clinical decision-making regarding treatment sequencing, particularly given uncertainty surrounding multiple preferred 1L options in clinical guidelines.