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Background: Clinical practice guidelines recommend prophylaxis in patients with cancer receiving a colony-stimulating factor (CSF) when the risk of febrile neutropenia (FN) is high (>20%). For patients receiving chemotherapy regimens not documented as high-risk, the decision regarding CSF prophylaxis use can be challenging, because some patients may be at high risk based on a combination of the regimen and individual risk factors. Methods: A retrospective cohort design and US private health care claims data were used. Study subjects received chemotherapy regimens classified as “low” or “intermediate,” or unclassified, in terms of FN risk, and were stratified by cancer and regimen. For each subject, the first chemotherapy course, and each cycle and FN episode within the course, were identified. FN incidence proportions were estimated by the presence and number of risk factors and chronic comorbidities. Results: Across the 17 tumor/regimen combinations considered (n=160,304 in total), 74% to 98% of patients had 1 or more risk factor for FN and 41% to 89% had 2 or more. Among patients with 1 or more risk factor, FN incidence ranged from 7.2% to 29.0% across regimens, and the relative risk of FN (vs those without risk factors) ranged from 1.1 (95% CI, 0.8–1.3) to 2.2 (95% CI, 1.5–3.0). FN incidence increased in a graded and monotonic fashion with the number of risk factors and comorbidities. Conclusions: In this retrospective evaluation of patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy regimens not classified as high-risk for FN in US clinical practice, most patients had 1 or more FN risk factor and many had 2 or more. FN incidence was found to be elevated in these patients, especially those with multiple risk factors.

Background: A wide variety of myelosuppressive chemotherapy regimens are used for the treatment of cancer in clinical practice. Neutropenic complications, such as febrile neutropenia, are among the most common side effects of chemotherapy, and they often necessitate delays or reductions in doses of myelosuppressive agents. Reduced relative dose intensity (RDI) may lead to poorer disease-free and overall survival. Methods: Using the McKesson Specialty Health/US Oncology iKnowMed electronic health record database, we retrospectively identified the first course of adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy received by patients without metastases who initiated treatment between January 1, 2007, and March 31, 2011. For each regimen, we estimated the incidences of dose delays (≥7 days in any cycle of the course), dose reductions (≥ 15% in any cycle of the course), and reduced RDI (<85% over the course) relative to the corresponding standard tumor regimens described in the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines). Results: This study included 16,233 patients with 6 different tumor types who received 1 of 20 chemotherapy regimens. Chemotherapy dose delays, dose reductions, and reduced RDI were common among patients treated in community oncology practices in the United States, but RDI was highly variable across patients, regimens, and tumor types (0.486–0.935 for standard tumor regimen cohorts). Reduced RDI was more common in older patients, obese patients, and patients whose daily activities were restricted. Conclusions: In this large evaluation of RDI in US clinical practice, physicians frequently administered myelosuppressive agents at dose intensities lower than those of standard regimens.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy predisposes patients to immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Data are limited regarding the incidence, management, and outcomes of one such irAE: mucositis. In this study, we evaluated the clinical characteristics, disease course, treatment, and outcomes of ICI-mediated mucositis. Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center study of patients who received ICI therapy and developed oral mucositis at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from January 2009 to September 2019. Inclusion criteria included age ≥18 years, a diagnosis of oral mucositis and/or stomatitis based on ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, and therapy using CTLA-4 or PD-1/L1 inhibitors alone or combined with other agents. Results: We identified 152 patients with a mean age of 60 years, 51% of whom were men. Of the sample patients, 73% had stage IV cancer, with melanoma the most common (28%). Median time from ICI initiation to mucositis was 91 days. The most common clinical presentation of mucositis was odynophagia and/or oral pain (89%), 91% developed CTCAE grade 1–2 mucositis, and 78% received anti–PD-1/L1 monotherapy. Compared with anti–PD-1/L1–based therapy, anti–CTLA-4–based therapy was more frequently associated with earlier onset of mucositis (73 vs 96 days; P=.077) and a lower rate of symptom resolution (76% vs 92%; P=.029); 24% of patients required immunosuppressive therapy, which was associated with longer symptom duration (84 vs 34 days; P=.002) and higher mucositis recurrence rate (61% vs 32%; P=.006). ICI interruption was associated with worse survival (P=.037). Mucositis recurrence, immunosuppressant use, and presence of other irAEs did not affect survival. Conclusions: For ICI-mediated mucositis, a diagnosis of exclusion has not been well recognized and is understudied. Although the clinical symptoms of mucositis are mostly mild, approximately 25% of patients require immunosuppression. Mucositis recurrence can occur in approximately 39% patients. Our results showed that ICI interruption compromises overall survival.