Treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization and costs of HER2-negative gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer

To describe treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization and costs in HER2-negative gastric/gastroesophageal (G/GEJ) cancer in the USA. Retrospective IQVIA Adjudicated Closed Claims database analysis; patients with HER2-negative G/GEJ cancer initiating systemic therapy between October 2016 and December 2019 were identified. Among 1317 patients, platinum plus taxane regimens (54%) were common in neoadjuvant/adjuvant settings. Platinum-taxane (41%) and platinum-fluoropyrimidine (36%) regimens were common first-line therapies in the metastatic setting. Treatment regimens were heterogeneous in later lines. Hospitalization rates ranged from 39% (first-, second-line metastatic settings) to 61% (neoadjuvant/adjuvant setting). High healthcare resource utilization was driven by high outpatient costs. Mean per-patient per-month outpatient costs combining physician office and hospital visits ranged from US$10,944 to $12,582 (representing 52–70% of total costs). For G/GEJ cancer, systemic regimens varied across lines of therapy with variation increasing with subsequent therapy lines; high healthcare costs persist for systemic treatment, particularly outpatient services.