Incidence and cost of radical prostatectomy for NCCN low-risk prostate cancer in Utah.

Abstract

232 Background: Guidelines Support active surveillance (AS) as the preferred treatment for men with NCCN low-risk prostate cancer (Gleason 3+3, prostate-specific antigen [PSA] <10 ng/ml, ≤T2a). Recent work from Mahal BA et al. (JAMA 2019) reports AS rates are increasing, but only 42.1% of men with low-risk prostate cancer underwent AS in 2015. Low-risk prostate cancer accounted for 30.1% of diagnoses. The majority of Utah residents treated for prostate cancer receive therapy at either The Huntsman Cancer Institute or Intermountain Healthcare facilities. We modeled the costs associated with the presumptive overtreatment of men with low-risk disease treated in 2017-2019. Methods: Data from The Huntsman Cancer Institute and Intermountain Healthcare cancer databases from 2017 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Men with available pathologic, laboratory and clinical data who had undergone prostatectomy were stratified by having NCCN low, intermediate, and high-risk disease. Rates of radical prostatectomy by year and institution were analyzed. The cost of prostatectomy compared to AS was estimated to be $14,453 from recent work by Trogdon JG et al. (JAMA Oncol 2019). Results: Data was available for 1,155 Utahn men (Table). Of the 1155 surgeries performed, 69 (6%) were in low-risk patients. The total costs of care that might have been avoided over these three years are estimated to be $1 million. Conclusions: Approximately 6% of prostatectomies performed in Utah are in men with NCCN low-risk prostate cancer. While these rates are lower than the national average, we estimate approximately $1 million in medical costs and toxicities could be deferred had these patients opted for AS. Work is ongoing to characterize clinical toxicity of treatment in these men, and a multi-institutional collaborative education outreach program to reduce overtreatment is in development. [Table: see text]