| Abstract: |
BACKGROUND: Data regarding the impact of symptomatic skeletal events (SSEs) on health economics and patient-reported outcomes in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and bone metastases from a clinical setting are lacking. Hence, this study aimed to quantify the effects of SSEs on health-care resource utilization (HRU), health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and pain in men with CRPC metastasized to bone. METHODS: This cohort study included men with CRPC and bone metastasis treated at a tertiary center during December 1996-July 2015. SSEs, including pathological fracture, radiation to bone, spinal cord compression and bone surgery, as well as HRU were identified retrospectively through medical records and clinical database. A subset of surviving patients completed Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P) and Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF) questionnaires. The incremental effect of SSEs on HRU was evaluated using multivariable generalized linear regression. Questionnaire scores were compared using effect sizes (ES); ES >= 0.33 indicated meaningful differences between SSE and non-SSE cohorts. Lower scores suggest lower HRQoL and pain. RESULTS: Of the 832 patients, 207 developed >= 1 SSE (mean 1.5 +/- 0.8) during follow-up (median 2.1 years). Radiation to bone was the most common SSE (84.1%). SSE cohort had significantly higher emergency room (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.48; P = 0.006), outpatient (IRR = 1.17; P = 0.005) and inpatient (IRR = 1.74; P<0.001) visits. Of the 107 eligible survey patients, 103 (96.3%) responded. SSE cohort had lower mean FACT-P functional well-being (17.5 vs 19.8; P = 0.158; ES = 0.36), higher mean pain severity (2.5 vs 1.6; P = 0.048; ES = 0.47) and worst pain scores (3.6 vs 2.3; P = 0.033; ES = 0.50) compared with the non-SSE cohort, indicating meaningful differences between cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated high economic and HRQoL burden of SSEs. The findings underscore the need for better supportive and disease-modifying treatments for these patients. |
