scholarly journals Cost-Effectiveness of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Urothelial Carcinoma—A Review

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Arman S. Walia ◽  
Randy F. Sweis ◽  
Piyush K. Agarwal ◽  
Andrew K. Kader ◽  
Parth K. Modi

Over the last decade, an increasing number of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been assessed for therapeutic efficacy in urothelial carcinoma (UC). The high cost has prompted multiple cost-effectiveness analyses for the various disease stages, with no established consensus. We reviewed the literature to assess the available cost-effectiveness studies and summarize their findings. Studies were filtered for a calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) to standardize comparison. Over 2600 articles were narrowed to eight primary investigations: one for BCG-refractory non-muscle invasive (NMI), one for neoadjuvant therapy in muscle-invasive (MI), and six for advanced disease. Cost-effectiveness was not achieved for NMI disease. Atezolizumab met the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold as neoadjuvant therapy for MI disease compared to chemotherapy, but with multiple limitations on the interpretation. Of the six studies on advanced disease, the results were mixed. This was at least partially attributable to varied methodologies including extrapolated time horizons, inconsistent cost inputs, and different WTP thresholds. Overall, the aggregate results were not compelling enough to establish ICIs as cost-effective compared to conventional chemotherapy. Value may improve with continued investigation into long-term outcomes, refined patient selection, and pricing discounts.

Immunotherapy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Khalife ◽  
Claude Chahine ◽  
Manal Kordahi ◽  
Tony Felefly ◽  
Hampig Raphael Kourie ◽  
...  

Bladder cancer is the seventh most frequent cancer worldwide. The majority of patients present with nonmuscle invasive disease, while 20% of the patients are diagnosed with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The treatment of nonmuscle invasive disease is endoscopic resection followed by intravesical adjuvant treatment for high risk patients. The standard treatment of localized muscle-invasive disease is neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy. Platinum-based chemotherapy is the first-line treatment in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma as second-line treatment or first-line in platinum-ineligible patients. Recently, pembrolizumab have been approved in BCG-refractory nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer. This review summarizes the current evidence concerning immunotherapy in the treatment of urothelial carcinoma.


BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. e014880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Pike ◽  
Vida Hamidi ◽  
Ingvil Saeterdal ◽  
Jan Odgaard-Jensen ◽  
Marianne Klemp

ObjectiveTo assess the relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of seven new drugs (cobimetinib, dabrafenib, ipilimumab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, trametinib and vemurafenib) used for treatment of patients with advanced malignant melanoma in the Norwegian setting.DesignA multiple technology assessment.PatientsPatients with advanced malignant melanoma aged 18 or older.Data sourcesA systematic search for randomised controlled trials in relevant bibliographic databases.MethodsWe performed network meta-analyses using both direct and indirect evidence with dacarbazine as a common comparator. We ranked the different treatments in terms of their likelihood of leading to the best results for each endpoint. The cost-utility analysis was based on a probabilistic discrete-time Markov cohort model. The model calculated the costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) with different treatment strategies from a healthcare perspective. Sensitivity analysis was performed by means of Monte Carlo simulation.ResultsMonotherapies with a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) immune-checkpoint-inhibitor had a higher probability of good performance for overall survival than monotherapies with ipilimumab or BRAF/MEK inhibitors. The combination treatments had all similar levels of effectiveness to the PD-1 immune-checkpoint-inhibitors.PD-1 immune-checkpoint-inhibitors are more effective and more costly compared with ipilimumab in monotherapy. Nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab had higher costs and the same level of effectiveness as the PD-1 immune-checkpoint-inhibitors in monotherapy.BRAF/MEK inhibitor combinations (dabrafenib and trametinib or vemurafenib and cobimetinib) had both similar effectiveness and cost-effectiveness; however, the combination therapies are more likely to give higher quality adjusted life year gains than BRAF or MEK inhibitor monotherapies, but to a higher cost.ConclusionsNone of the drugs investigated can be considered cost-effective at what has normally been considered a reasonable willingness-to-pay (WTP) in Norway. Price reductions (from the official list prices) in the region of 63%–84% would be necessary for these drugs to be cost-effective at a WTP of €55 850 per QALY.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 747
Author(s):  
Javier Torres-Jiménez ◽  
Víctor Albarrán-Fernández ◽  
Javier Pozas ◽  
María San Román-Gil ◽  
Jorge Esteban-Villarrubia ◽  
...  

Urothelial carcinoma represents one of the most prevalent types of cancer worldwide, and its incidence is expected to grow. Although the treatment of the advanced disease was based on chemotherapy for decades, the developments of different therapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, antibody drug conjugates and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, are revolutionizing the therapeutic landscape of this tumor. This development coincides with the increasing knowledge of the pathogenesis and genetic alterations in urothelial carcinoma, from the non-muscle invasive setting to the metastatic one. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the different tyrosine kinase targets and their roles in the therapeutic scene of urothelial carcinoma.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. e236357
Author(s):  
Mary Sessums ◽  
Siva Yarrarapu ◽  
Pramod K Guru ◽  
Devang K Sanghavi

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionised cancer therapy in the past decade. Although they have been indicated to treat a diverse range of malignant neoplasms, they are also associated with various immune-related adverse effects. We report the case of a 74-year-old man with a history of urothelial carcinoma who had atezolizumab-induced myocarditis and myositis resulting in acute hypercapnic respiratory failure, despite the discontinuation of atezolizumab and aggressive treatment with corticosteroids. This case highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for early diagnosis and treatment of immune-related adverse events. Physicians must be aware of the risks associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and have a basic knowledge regarding their management.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 7201
Author(s):  
In-Ho Kim ◽  
Hyo-Jin Lee

Radical cystectomy is the primary treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer; however, approximately 50% of patients develop metastatic disease within 2 years of diagnosis, which results in dismal prognosis. Therefore, systemic treatment is important to improve the prognosis of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Currently, several guidelines recommend cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy before radical cystectomy, and adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended in patients who have not received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have recently become the standard treatment option for metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Owing to their clinical benefits, several immune checkpoint inhibitors, with or without other agents (including other immunotherapy, cytotoxic chemotherapy, and emerging agents such as antibody drug conjugates), are being extensively investigated in perioperative settings. Several studies for perioperative immunotherapy have shown that immune checkpoint inhibitors have promising efficacy with relatively low toxicity, and have explored the predictive molecular biomarkers. Herein, we review the current evidence and discuss the future perspectives of perioperative systemic treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.


2021 ◽  
pp. 101762
Author(s):  
Jean-Michel Lavoie ◽  
Gillian Vandekerkhove ◽  
Andrew J. Murtha ◽  
Gang Wang ◽  
Alexander W. Wyatt ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 476-476
Author(s):  
Ivan de Kouchkovsky ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Errol Philip ◽  
Francis Wright ◽  
Daniel Myung Kim ◽  
...  

476 Background: Reliable predictive markers are lacking in patients (pts) with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (aUC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). We sought to determine whether specific genomic alterations could be used to predict overall survival (OS) in this patient population. Methods: We undertook a retrospective cohort study of pts with aUC who received ICI and underwent genomic profiling by next-generation sequencing (NGS). All patients underwent NGS using commercially available platforms (e.g. Foundation Medicine, Strata, Invitae), or testing on the CLIA-certified institutional panel UCSF500. Associations between the 20 most frequently altered genes and OS were first examined by Cox regression. Genes with a p <0.1 on univariate analysis and relevant clinical variables were then included in a multivariable analysis. Results: We identified 78 pts treated with ICI for aUC with available genomic profiling results. Median age at ICI initiation was 71; the majority of patients had visceral metastases (70.5%), ECOG performance status ≤1 (62.8%) and received ICI in the post-platinum setting (52.6%). Objective response rate in this cohort was 35.9%, median progression free survival was 4.0 months (95% CI 2.6-10.5) and median OS was 17.5 months (95% CI 14.1-NR) from ICI start. The most commonly altered genes were the TERT promoter (TERTp) (61%), TP53 (52%), RB1 (31%), CDKN2A(29%) and CDKN2B (27%). On univariable analysis there was a trend towards longer OS in pts with TERTp mutations (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.27-1.06, p = 0.07), and shorter OS in pts with CDKN2B mutations (HR 1.91, 95% CI 0.98-3.73, p = 0.06). Both mutations were included in a multivariable analysis. After adjusting for known prognostic variables (ECOG PS, visceral metastases, albumin, hemoglobin, body mass index [BMI], neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio [NLR], and histology), the presence of a TERTp mutation was significantly associated with improved OS (HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.10-0.93, p = 0.04; Table). Conclusions: The presence of a TERTp mutation was an independent predictor of improved OS in a cohort of aUC pts treated with ICI. Other common mutations and clinical variables were not associated with OS on a multivariable analysis. These findings are hypothesis-generating and prospective validation is needed. [Table: see text]


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