Treatment Characteristics of Breast Cancer Patients per HER2/HR Status in the United States: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 2018-2022 Database Analysis
Author(s)
Filip Stanicic, PhD (c), Dimitrije Grbic, PhD (c), Vlad Zah, DPhil.
ZRx Outcomes Research, Inc., Mississauga, ON, Canada.
ZRx Outcomes Research, Inc., Mississauga, ON, Canada.
OBJECTIVES: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER; available since April 2025) data were used to investigate treatment characteristics of breast cancer (BC) patients in the US.
METHODS: Data from 17 cancer registries (January 2018 - December 2022) were analyzed using SEER*Stat. BC was the target population, stratified by HER2/HR status. Outcomes consisted of available treatment variables.
RESULTS: There were 377,387 BC patients diagnosed between 2018 and 2022. Most had HER2-/HR+ subtype (59.49%) and localized cancer stage (53.51%). Additionally, most participants were between 20-64 years (55.23%), female (99.21%), non-Hispanic White (62.29%), married (55.21%), metropolitan area residents (90.38%), and had $65,000-90,000 annual household income (43.93%). Cancer-directed surgeries were performed in 88.48% of the sample. The lowest surgery rate per HER2/HR was reported in the group with unknown status (83.16%), mainly because the procedure was not recommended (12.09%). Around half of the population reported receiving radiation treatment (51.37%), mostly beam radiation (50.20%). Patients with unknown HER2/HR status had the lowest rate of receiving radiation (36.01%), while among those with known status the lowest rate was reported for HER2+/HR- (47.92%). If combined with surgery, radiation was most frequently administered after the procedure (49.52%). Only 30.18% of the total sample reported receiving chemotherapy. The lowest chemotherapy administration rate was reported in those with unknown HER2/HR status (2.62%). Among those with known status, the lowest rate was observed in HER2-/HR+ (24.61%), while other groups had much higher rates (74.06% in HER2+/HR+, 77.92% in HER2+/HR-, 77.56% in HER2-/HR-). Systemic therapy (any type) and surgery were administered to 68.60% of patients. Most cases received systemic therapy after the surgery (54.35%).
CONCLUSIONS: Surgery was more frequently combined with systemic therapy than radiation, mainly after the procedure. Study findings may indicate that the majority of BC patients were detected relatively early, as most of them had localized cancer and underwent surgery.
METHODS: Data from 17 cancer registries (January 2018 - December 2022) were analyzed using SEER*Stat. BC was the target population, stratified by HER2/HR status. Outcomes consisted of available treatment variables.
RESULTS: There were 377,387 BC patients diagnosed between 2018 and 2022. Most had HER2-/HR+ subtype (59.49%) and localized cancer stage (53.51%). Additionally, most participants were between 20-64 years (55.23%), female (99.21%), non-Hispanic White (62.29%), married (55.21%), metropolitan area residents (90.38%), and had $65,000-90,000 annual household income (43.93%). Cancer-directed surgeries were performed in 88.48% of the sample. The lowest surgery rate per HER2/HR was reported in the group with unknown status (83.16%), mainly because the procedure was not recommended (12.09%). Around half of the population reported receiving radiation treatment (51.37%), mostly beam radiation (50.20%). Patients with unknown HER2/HR status had the lowest rate of receiving radiation (36.01%), while among those with known status the lowest rate was reported for HER2+/HR- (47.92%). If combined with surgery, radiation was most frequently administered after the procedure (49.52%). Only 30.18% of the total sample reported receiving chemotherapy. The lowest chemotherapy administration rate was reported in those with unknown HER2/HR status (2.62%). Among those with known status, the lowest rate was observed in HER2-/HR+ (24.61%), while other groups had much higher rates (74.06% in HER2+/HR+, 77.92% in HER2+/HR-, 77.56% in HER2-/HR-). Systemic therapy (any type) and surgery were administered to 68.60% of patients. Most cases received systemic therapy after the surgery (54.35%).
CONCLUSIONS: Surgery was more frequently combined with systemic therapy than radiation, mainly after the procedure. Study findings may indicate that the majority of BC patients were detected relatively early, as most of them had localized cancer and underwent surgery.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
HSD114
Topic
Health Service Delivery & Process of Care, Real World Data & Information Systems
Disease
Oncology