Comparative Effectiveness of Adjunctive Bevacizumab for Advanced Lung Cancer: The Cancer Research Network Experience

Introduction:Bevacizumab plus carboplatin-paclitaxel (BCP) chemotherapy has Food and Drug Administration approval for advanced nonsquamous, non-small-cell lung cancer based upon improved survival in a clinical trial. However, subgroup analyses of this and other studies have suggested variable results by age and gender.Methods:Using data from four health maintenance organizations (HMOs) belonging to the Cancer Research Network, 1605 HMO nonsquamous, non-small-cell lung cancer patients aged younger than 21 years, diagnosed 2002-2010, who received carboplatin-paclitaxel (CP), with and without bevacizumab for first-line treatment of stage IIIB/IV disease were identified. Patients were categorized into three groups based on year of diagnosis and regimen during 120 days postdiagnosis: (1) diagnosed 2005-2010 and received BCP; (2) 2005-2010, CP (CP2005), and (3) 2002-2004, CP (CP2002). Survival differences between groups were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models with several propensity score adjustments for demographic, comorbidity, and tumor characteristics. Multivariable subanalyses were also estimated.Results:Median survival was 12.3 months (interquartile range [IQR], 6.0-29.1) for BCP patients versus 8.8 months (IQR, 3.7-21.3) for CP2005 patients and 7.5 months (IQR, 3.8-15.6) for CP2002 patients. In the propensity score-adjusted models, BCP demonstrated a significant survival benefit with a hazard ratio of BCP relative to CP2005 and CP2002 patients of 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66-0.94) and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.52-0.75), respectively. In the multivariable-adjusted subanalyses, relative to the CP2005 cohort, the BCP hazard ratios for patients age less than 65 years, age 65 years old or older, and females were 0.78 (95% CI, 0.62-1.00), 0.74 (95% CI, 0.54-1.00), and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.58-1.00).Conclusions:In this community-based, comparative effectiveness analysis, we found an overall survival benefit for adults receiving BCP compared with CP.