INSIGHTS FROM A NATIONAL CANCER REGISTRY: CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND TREATMENT PATHWAYS OF METASTATIC BREAST CANCER PATIENTS IN GERMANY - A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF ZFKD DATA
Author(s)
Jennifer Scarlet Haas, MSc, Kim Sarah Krinke, PhD, Julia Theil, MPH, Timotheus Stremel, MSc, Christopher Maas, MSc, Christian Jacob, PhD, Sebastian Braun, PhD.
Cencora, Hannover, Germany.
Cencora, Hannover, Germany.
OBJECTIVES: Prognosis for breast cancer patients has improved significantly. However, metastatic breast cancer (mBC) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, as treatment responses are often only temporary. This study describes demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with incident mBC and evaluates real-world treatment pathways in Germany.
METHODS: This retrospective study utilized the clinical dataset of the German Centre for Cancer Registry Data (ZfKD) at the Robert Koch Institute, covering diagnosis years 2020-2023. Eligible patients had an incident breast cancer diagnosis (ICD-10-GM C50.-) presenting in a metastatic condition, defined by M-classification. Kaplan-Meier methods were used for time-to-event analyses including overall survival.
RESULTS: The database comprised 21,886 patients (22,772 tumors) with an initial breast cancer diagnosis and documented distant metastases at first diagnosis (incident mBC) between 2020 and 2023. Most patients were female (99%), with a mean age of 68 years and a median age of 70. Of all tumors, 49.9% were left-sided, 46.8% right-sided, 0.4% bilateral, and 2.8% of unknown laterality. HER2 status was positive in 16.7%, negative in 61.6%, and unknown or missing in 21.7% of tumors. Overall, 38,650 metastases were identified; the most common sites were bone (34.0%), lungs (16.2%), and liver (13.8%). Median overall survival was 925 days; 52.2% of patients died and an additional 11.2% experienced disease progression during follow-up (combined progression-free survival: 63.4%). 63.5% of patients received at least one systemic therapy, 27.9% received chemotherapy, and 31.3% received radiotherapy.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides contemporary real-world evidence on 21,886 patients with incident mBC diagnosed between 2020 and 2023. A median overall survival below three years and a high rate of progression or death highlight the continued severity of the disease setting, underscoring the need for improved treatment strategies and informing future decision-making in Germany.
METHODS: This retrospective study utilized the clinical dataset of the German Centre for Cancer Registry Data (ZfKD) at the Robert Koch Institute, covering diagnosis years 2020-2023. Eligible patients had an incident breast cancer diagnosis (ICD-10-GM C50.-) presenting in a metastatic condition, defined by M-classification. Kaplan-Meier methods were used for time-to-event analyses including overall survival.
RESULTS: The database comprised 21,886 patients (22,772 tumors) with an initial breast cancer diagnosis and documented distant metastases at first diagnosis (incident mBC) between 2020 and 2023. Most patients were female (99%), with a mean age of 68 years and a median age of 70. Of all tumors, 49.9% were left-sided, 46.8% right-sided, 0.4% bilateral, and 2.8% of unknown laterality. HER2 status was positive in 16.7%, negative in 61.6%, and unknown or missing in 21.7% of tumors. Overall, 38,650 metastases were identified; the most common sites were bone (34.0%), lungs (16.2%), and liver (13.8%). Median overall survival was 925 days; 52.2% of patients died and an additional 11.2% experienced disease progression during follow-up (combined progression-free survival: 63.4%). 63.5% of patients received at least one systemic therapy, 27.9% received chemotherapy, and 31.3% received radiotherapy.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides contemporary real-world evidence on 21,886 patients with incident mBC diagnosed between 2020 and 2023. A median overall survival below three years and a high rate of progression or death highlight the continued severity of the disease setting, underscoring the need for improved treatment strategies and informing future decision-making in Germany.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
SA51
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health, Study Approaches
Topic Subcategory
Registries
Disease
Oncology