Association of caregiver and patient burden with ALK-positive advanced non–small cell lung cancer in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Abstract

e20768 Background: Patients with advanced NSCLC (aNSCLC) can experience significant disease burden with respect to symptoms, side effects and impairments to daily living activities. Thus, many patients require caregiver support. This study investigated the caregiver and patient burden associated with ALK-positive (ALK+) aNSCLC across Germany (DE), the United Kingdom (UK), and United States (US). Methods: Data were drawn from the Adelphi NSCLC Disease Specific Programme: a cross-sectional survey of 162 oncologists/pulmonologists in DE, UK and US, between Dec 2023-May 2024. Physicians provided information for up to nine consecutively consulting patients; six who were diagnosed with aNSCLC, one with a confirmed ALK mutation, and two with a confirmed ALK mutation who received 1 st line brigatinib treatment. Across these samples, physician-reported data was provided for 587 ALK+ patients, of which 127 patients voluntarily completed a survey. All analyses were descriptive. Results: Of patients with aNSCLC who were ALK+ (n=587; DE:167; UK:225; US:195), the median age was 65 years, majority of patients were male (52%) and stage IVA at aNSCLC diagnosis (60%). The majority of patients (59%) did not require additional support, while partner/spouse (29%) was the most common source of additional care. Patient’s received a median (IQR) of 15.0 (5.0, 20.0) hours of care per week from their partner/spouse (n=88). Table 1 shows physician-reported caregiver and patient burden data. In the patient-reported data (n=127; DE: 88; UK: 21; US: 18), patients reported that their aNSCLC most severely impacted their ability to work (24% severe or very severe). Need for caregiver support was reported by 42% of patients, received for a median (IQR) of 20.0 (14.2, 40.0) hours per week. The most common activities requiring caregiver support were transportation and meal preparation (both 28%). Conclusions: Patients with ALK+ aNSCLC who required assistance relied heavily on partners or spouses, who provided substantial weekly care. Patient-reported impacts on work and everyday function highlight the meaningful burden on both patients and caregivers, reinforcing the need for treatment strategies that lessen symptom and functional challenges to reduce caregiver demands. Physician-reported caregiver and patient burden data, overall n=587. Activities of daily living (ADL) requiring help from caregiver(s), n (%) Housecleaning + home maintenance Shopping + meal preparation Transportation Other ADL Unknown n=18895 (51%)90 (48%)77 (41%)103 (55%)41 (22%) Most common (Top 3) aNSCLC symptoms at time of data collection, n (%) Cough Fatigue Dyspnoea n=534359 (67%)260 (49%)195 (37%)