An assessment of the association between patient characteristics and timely lung cancer treatment

Purpose Prior data have demonstrated relationships between patient characteristics, the use of surgery to treat lung cancer, and the timeliness of treatment. Our study examines whether these relationships were observable in 2019 in patients with Medicare Advantage health plans being treated for lung cancer. Methods Claims data pertaining to patients with Medicare Advantage health plans who had received radiation therapy (RT) or surgery to treat lung cancer within 90 days of diagnostic imaging were extracted. Other databases were used to determine patients’ demographics, comorbidities, the urbanicity of their ZIP code, the median income of their ZIP code, and whether their treatment was ordered by a physician at a hospital. Multivariable logistic and Cox Proportional Hazards models were used to assess the association between patient characteristics, receipt of surgery, and time to non-systemic treatment (surgery or RT), respectively. Results A total of 2,682 patients were included in the analysis. In an adjusted analysis, patients were significantly less likely to receive surgery if their first ordering physician was based in a hospital, if they were older, if they had a history of congestive heart failure (CHF), if they had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or if they had stage III lung cancer. Likewise, having stage III cancer was associated with significantly shorter time to treatment. Conclusions Within a Medicare Advantage population, patient demographics were found to be significantly associated with the decision to pursue surgery, but factors other than stage were not significantly associated with time to non-systemic treatment.