OBJECTIVE: Skeletal-related events (SREs) are defined as a cluster of events including clinical diagnoses and treatment.
Using claims data, the burden of SREs as a group has been reported among patients with cancer. We investigate the mortality impact of subcomponents of SREs, a topic that has received limited attention among older men.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed prostate cancer (PCa) and all-cause mortality among men diagnosed with metastatic PCa from 2000 to 2007 using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data linked with 1999-2009 Medicare data. We created three measures of pathological fracture (PF), spinal cord compression (SCC), and bone surgery (BS) that differed in the use of claims-based bone metastasis information. We reported covariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) using the full sample and a propensity score-matched sample (PSMS).
RESULTS: Application of inclusion/exclusion criteria resulted in 7062 men in the full sample (1776 in the PSMS). PCa-specific (all-cause mortality) was 54% (80%) at a median follow-up of 609days. SRE prevalence ranged from 9.7% to 17.1% across the measures. In a PCa mortality model, the HR associated with an SRE ranged from 1.07 (0.98-1.16) to 1.31 (1.18-1.45). The HRs for SCC and PF were statistically significant and positively associated with PCa-specific mortality. The results for BS depended on the measure. Results for SCC and BS, but not for PF, were preserved using a PSMS.
CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between SREs and mortality among older men with metastatic PCa was driven by SCC and depended on the definition used to measure SREs.
Written by:
Onukwugha E, Yong C, Mullins CD, Seal B, McNally D, Hussain A. Are you the author?
Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 220 Arch Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., USA; University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Reference: J Geriatr Oncol. 2014 Apr 11. pii: S1879-4068(14)00061-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2014.03.002
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24726866
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