Real-world use of extracorporeal photopheresis for patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in the United States: 2010-2015.

INTRODUCTION: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer recommend extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) as systemic therapy for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).

OBJECTIVE: To investigate real-world use of ECP in CTCL patients in the US.

METHODS: Data from the Truven MarketScan® database (2010-2015) were used to create a cohort of CTCL patients receiving systemic treatment. Multivariable regressions were performed to compare health care resource utilizations between ECP and propensity score-matched non-ECP patients.

RESULTS: Of the 1,106 eligible patients, 117 (10.6%) received ECP, with an average treatment duration of 13.6 months. Psoriasis, organ transplant, graft versus host disease, and scleroderma were the most common comorbidities. ECP was used as monotherapy in 76 patients (65.0%) and combination in 41 patients (35.0%), mostly with interferon and/or a retinoid. Higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (2.6 vs 2.2, P<.05), rates of organ transplant (49.6% vs 7.8%, P<.001), and graft vs host disease (41.9% vs 3.4%, P<.001) were observed in ECP versus non-ECP patients. Post-matching analyses showed that ECP patients had shorter all-cause inpatient stay (6.67 vs 11.80 days, P=.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 1 out of 10 CTCL patients receiving systemic treatment were on ECP treatment in the US. ECP was associated with shortened hospital stay.