Relative Impact of Anticancer Therapy on Unplanned Hospital Care in Patients With Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

PURPOSE: In lung cancer, unplanned hospital care is a significant driver of costs. While toxicities of cancer therapies are well-known, there are little data on their relative contribution to unplanned care. This study aims to (1) determine the relative impact of tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy, and cytotoxic chemotherapy on unplanned hospital care and (2) identify potential strategies to prevent unplanned hospital encounters in patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A research database search of the electronic health record was used to identify 97 patients with established NSCLC who were undergoing either TKI therapy, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy at our institution and visited our emergency department (ED) in 2018. The resulting 173 ED encounters were reviewed to determine (1) the cause (cancer, therapy, other, or rule-out) of each encounter and (2) whether the encounter was preventable. RESULTS: A small portion (9%) of all unplanned hospital encounters were therapy related (2% in the TKI therapy group, 12% in the immunotherapy group, and 21% in the chemotherapy group). Cancer itself was the leading cause (54%) of the encounters. Over 20% of all encounters were classified as preventable, and half of those encounters were deemed unnecessary. DISCUSSION: TKI therapy, immunotherapy, and, to a lesser extent, chemotherapy are relatively small drivers of unplanned acute hospital care for patients with NSCLC. A significant share of unplanned hospital encounters may be prevented through proactive evidence-based initiatives.