2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) - ePosters-EP.17A.06 Real-World Trends in Screening and Evaluation of Paraneoplastic Syndromes among Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer

EP.17A.06 Real-World Trends in Screening and Evaluation of Paraneoplastic Syndromes among Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer

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This study explored trends in screening and management of paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS), specifically neurologic PNS such as Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), among patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) over a four-year period from 2018 to 2021. Using the Symphony Health PatientSource database, the study analyzed healthcare claims from 300 million US-based commercial and Medicare Advantage enrollees. The analysis focused on patients with a first lung cancer diagnosis claim during the designated timeframe.<br /><br />Key findings include that 36% of SCLC patients diagnosed with LEMS underwent neurologic PNS antibody panel testing, yet less than 2% received PNS testing annually over the study period. The prevalence of LEMS detected post-testing was higher than expected based on existing literature, indicating a potential underestimation of LEMS occurrence when no testing is conducted.<br /><br />Despite guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in 2020 recommending PNS screening for suspected neurologic conditions, the implementation in real-world practice appeared limited, as evidenced by the overall slow increase in claims for PNS antibody panels. Neurology visits were more frequent among SCLC patients with brain metastases, although a significant portion of visits were unrelated to metastases.<br /><br />A notable limitation of the study was the overestimation of neurological PNS prevalence, as antibody panel claims could include non-neurological conditions. Additionally, the study focused only on healthcare utilization during the specific period, not accounting for potential changes in practice beyond this timeframe.<br /><br />Overall, the research underscores a gap between guideline recommendations and actual clinical practice, highlighting the need for improved adherence to PNS screening guidelines to better identify and manage neurologic complications in SCLC patients.

Asset Subtitle

Wade Iams

Meta Tag

Speaker Wade Iams

Topic Global Health, Health Services, and Health Economics

Keywords

paraneoplastic syndromes

neurologic PNS

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome

small cell lung cancer

PNS antibody panel

Symphony Health PatientSource

healthcare claims

National Comprehensive Cancer Network

neurology visits

guideline adherence