Mapping the patient journey and treatment patterns in early-stage (stage I-III) non-small cell lung cancer

Introduction

We map the patient journey from symptom onset to intervention and describe primary treatment in a retrospective population-based cohort study of patients in a large healthcare-provider.

Methods

Newly diagnosed adult patients diagnosed with stages I-III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) between 2016 and 2019 were identified from the Israel National Cancer Registry and chart review was performed to extract de-identified data. The following timelines were constructed: from symptom onset to imaging, imaging to biopsy, and biopsy to primary treatment initiation. Cutoff: 31st December 2021. The initial symptom was captured up to one year prior to biopsy.

Results

Among 302 patients (41 % female, 70 % >=65 years, 79 % former or current smoking, 62 % adenocarcinoma), 34.1 % stage I, 10.3 % stage II, 42.1 % stage III and 13.6 % unknown (AJCC ver. 8). In the baseline year, 80.5 % of patients reported at least one symptom to their physician, and 12.3 % reported four or more symptoms. The most common symptoms reported were cough (29.8 %), pneumonia (24.2 %), chest pain (18.5 %), bronchitis (17.5 %) and wheezing (17.2 %). For patients with an initial symptom (n=243) median time from symptom onset to imaging was 5.5 months (95% CI:4.8–6.3), and time from imaging to primary treatment initiation was 2.6 (2.3–2.9) months in all patients. Total duration from symptom to intervention was 8.5 months (7.6–9.3). Over 93 % of stage I patients underwent surgery and 4.9 % received definitive radiation. Over 83 % of stage II patients underwent surgery; of these, 54.8 % received adjuvant/neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Of stage III patients, 68.5 % received definitive chemoradiation (half received durvalumab), and the remaining underwent surgery with adjuvant/neoadjuvant treatment.

Conclusion

A total of 80.5 % of patients were symptomatic and the median duration from symptom onset to treatment initiation was 8.5 month long. Improving patient and physician awareness to lung cancer symptoms, and the introduction of screening programs are essential for reducing those delays.