Publications by authors named "Astra M Liepa"

Purpose: With relatively few direct comparisons among treatment options for previously treated advanced gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, network meta-analysis (NMA) may inform evidence-based decision-making. Ramucirumab plus paclitaxel (RAM + PTX) is a preferred regimen in guideline recommendations. NMA of key outcomes may further characterize the relative clinical value of RAM + PTX.

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Background: In monarchE, abemaciclib demonstrated a sustained benefit in invasive disease-free survival and a tolerable safety profile at 42-months median follow-up. With no expected disease-related symptoms, therapies in the adjuvant setting should preserve quality of life (QoL). With all patients off abemaciclib, we report updated patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for the full 2-year treatment period and follow-up.

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Objective: To assess the costs of treated recurrence and survival in elderly patients with early breast cancer (EBC) at high risk of recurrence using Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry-Medicare linked claims data.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients aged ≥65 years with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-), node-positive EBC at high risk of recurrence. Treated recurrences were defined based on treatment events/procedure codes from claims.

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To describe real-world treatment sequences of ramucirumab relative to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancer. Retrospective, observational study including adult patients treated with ramucirumab (April 2014-June 2020) from a nationwide health-record database. In 1117 eligible patients, ramucirumab + paclitaxel was the most common ramucirumab-containing regimen (72.

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The decision to treat advanced gastroesophageal cancers (GECs) with targeted therapy and immunotherapy is based on key biomarker expression (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), microsatellite instability (MSI), and/or mismatch repair (MMR)). Real-world data on testing, results, and treatment patterns are limited. This retrospective observational study used a nationwide electronic health record-derived de-identified database of patients from the United States.

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Background: Gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma is the most common form of gastric cancer diagnosed in the United States (US) each year. Diagnosis typically is in later stages of disease when it has advanced. Patients have been treated with a variety of regimens.

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Background: The Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Symptom Assessment Questionnaire (NSCLC-SAQ) was developed to incorporate the patient's perspective into evaluation of clinical benefit in advanced non-small cell lung cancer trials and meet regulatory expectations for doing so. Qualitative evidence supported 7 items covering 5 symptom concepts.

Objective: This study evaluated measurement properties of the NSCLC-SAQ's items, overall scale, and total score.

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Aims: This study was designed to describe health care resource utilization (HCRU) of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) or gastric cancer to test the hypothesis that greater treatment variability would be associated with increased HCRU.

Methods: A retrospective observational study using Marketscan claims data was conducted. Eligible patients had a first diagnosis of metastatic CRC or gastric cancer between 2004 and 2015 and must have received systemic anti-cancer therapy after diagnosis.

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Background: Platinum and fluoropyrimidine combinations typically comprise first-line (1L) therapy in advanced gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (G/GEA), although controversy exists regarding the use of 5doublet versus triplet cytotoxic regimens. Historically, second-line (2L) and third-line or later (3L+) therapy has been fragmented. Recent trials have increased the need for optimal treatment sequencing in advanced G/GEA.

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Background: Weight loss is common in advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (G/GEA); however, the prognostic implications of weight loss during the first cycle (C1) of chemotherapy remain poorly characterized. In this study, we investigated the impact of early weight loss during systemic treatment as a potential prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced G/GEA.

Materials And Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis of three phase III studies of ramucirumab.

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Aims: The ability of a patient to receive anti-cancer treatment depends on a variety of factors, including performance status (PS), which is typically measured using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale. This study hypothesized that there would be a strong and positive correlation between ECOG PS values and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and a strong and negative correlation with the use of anti-cancer therapy.

Materials And Methods: Patients with colorectal, lung or gastric cancer were included in this retrospective analysis of administrative claims data linked to electronic medical records (EMR).

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Background And Objective: Gastric cancer has been associated with notable geographic heterogeneity in previous multi-regional studies. In particular, patients from Japan have better outcomes compared with patients from other regions. Here, we assess patient-focused outcomes for the subgroup of Japanese patients in the global RAINBOW study.

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Background: In the intent-to-treat (ITT) population of the RAINBOW study, objective response rate (ORR) was 28% and 16% in the ramucirumab and control arms, respectively. To further characterize tumor response, we present details on timing and extent of tumor shrinkage, as well as associations with symptom palliation.

Materials And Methods: Tumor response was assessed with RECIST v1.

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Background: To evaluate patient-reported outcomes with ramucirumab plus docetaxel, a regimen which improved progression-free survival in platinum-refractory advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC).

Methods: RANGE-a randomized, double-blinded, phase 3 trial in patients with platinum-refractory aUC. Ramucirumab (10 mg/kg) plus docetaxel (75 mg/m) or placebo plus docetaxel were administered every 21 days until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

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Background: As real-world data resources expand and improve, there will increasingly be opportunities to study the effectiveness of interventions. There is a need to ensure that study designs explore potential sources of bias and either acknowledge or mitigate them, in order to improve the accuracy of findings. The objective of this study was to understand newly approved drug utilization patterns in real-world clinical settings over time.

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Objective: To describe treatment patterns and resource utilisation in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK) in patients with unresectable locally advanced and/or metastatic gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA), who failed first-line fluoropyrimidine/platinum treatment.

Methods: Treating physicians completed a web-based chart review (2013-2015). Eligible patients were ≥ 18 years old; had unresectable locally advanced and/or metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma including the gastro-oesophageal junction; received first-line fluoropyrimidine/platinum-based therapy; and had ≥ 3 months of follow-up after first-line discontinuation.

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Background: Ramucirumab-an IgG1 vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 antagonist-plus docetaxel was previously reported to improve progression-free survival in platinum-refractory, advanced urothelial carcinoma. Here, we report the secondary endpoint of overall survival results for the RANGE trial.

Methods: We did a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial in patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

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This retrospective observational study was designed to evaluate overall survival in a real-world patient population and to identify predictive factors associated with receipt of second-line therapy. A retrospective analysis of electronic medical records (Flatiron Health, New York) was conducted among patients initiating first-line therapy from January 1, 2013, through April 30, 2018. Eligible patients were diagnosed with advanced gastric, gastroesophageal junction, or esophageal adenocarcinoma and ≥18 years of age at the time of treatment initiation.

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Background: Inadequate understanding of interpretation of quality of life (QoL) instruments leads to unsatisfactory data reporting and clinical decision-making, including in gastric cancer care.

Materials And Methods: Pooled QoL data from two phase III studies of ramucirumab with or without paclitaxel in previously treated patients with gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer were used to explore associations with clinical attributes, including tumour response, disease measurability and performance status (PS). The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (QLQ)-C30 was used in both studies.

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Objective: To estimate both the number of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) eligible annually for second-line therapy following sorafenib in Germany and the healthcare costs accrued by patients meeting eligibility criteria.

Methods: Patients with an HCC diagnosis and one or more sorafenib prescription were identified from samples of > 3 million insured persons in each of 2012, 2013 and 2014 using the anonymised Betriebskrankenkasse health insurance scheme database. Incidence rates from 2013 were extrapolated to the German population using data from the statutory health insurance system database and Robert Koch Institute.

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Background: Limited real-world research has investigated ramucirumab for the treatment of patients with gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer. This study was designed to describe ramucirumab monotherapy or combination therapy use in a community oncology practice setting.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational cohort study to describe the treatment of adult patients with gastric or GEJ cancer who initiated ramucirumab treatment between 4/21/14 and 6/30/16 within the US Oncology Network.

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Background: Patients with metastatic gastric cancer have a poor prognosis (5-year survival of less than 10%). This study was designed to describe the treatment patterns of patients with gastric cancer and to understand the factors associated with treatment choices to inform evidence-based care.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using two real-world databases to describe treatment trends and to quantify variability in treatment patterns of patients diagnosed with advanced/metastatic gastric cancer between 1/1/2007 and 9/30/2014 in the U.

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Background: Few treatments with a distinct mechanism of action are available for patients with platinum-refractory advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. We assessed the efficacy and safety of treatment with docetaxel plus either ramucirumab-a human IgG1 VEGFR-2 antagonist-or placebo in this patient population.

Methods: We did a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial in patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

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Purpose: To identify baseline prognostic factors for survival in patients with disease progression, during or after chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer.

Materials And Methods: We pooled data from patients randomized between 2009 and 2012 in 2 phase III, global double-blind studies of ramucirumab for the treatment of advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma following disease progression on first-line platinum- and/or fluoropyrimidine-containing therapy (REGARD and RAINBOW). Forty-one key baseline clinical and laboratory factors common in both studies were examined.

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Purpose: This study investigated the patient perspective during cancer treatment and throughout the survivorship period and to understand how the patient experience may be related to choices for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Methods: Eligible patients in the Vector Oncology electronic medical records database were ≥18 years of age, diagnosed with gastric cancer, and received active treatment. Quality of life (QOL) was collected using the Patient Care Monitor (PCM).

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