How is advanced melanoma treated in the Public Health System in Brazil: a call for change.

Introduction: Treatment of advanced melanoma has been revolutionized in the last decade. The adoption of new treatments is necessary in order to offer significantly longer survival. Objective: To evaluate how patients are being treated for advanced melanoma at the Public Health System in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rafael Aliosha Kaliks, Andre Marques Santos, Tiago Farina Matos, Luciana Holtz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Oncologia Clínica, Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Clínica and Sociedade Brasileira de Radioterapia 2019-01-01
Series:Brazilian Journal of Oncology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.5935/2526-8732.20190020
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846149842087182336
author Rafael Aliosha Kaliks
Andre Marques Santos
Tiago Farina Matos
Luciana Holtz
author_facet Rafael Aliosha Kaliks
Andre Marques Santos
Tiago Farina Matos
Luciana Holtz
author_sort Rafael Aliosha Kaliks
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Treatment of advanced melanoma has been revolutionized in the last decade. The adoption of new treatments is necessary in order to offer significantly longer survival. Objective: To evaluate how patients are being treated for advanced melanoma at the Public Health System in Brazil. Methods: We evaluated the Authorization of Ambulatory Care Procedure (APAC) related to all patients treated for advanced melanoma between January 2015 and December 2017. We grouped treatments according to their reported efficacy as being inadequate, minimally effective, moderately effective or effective treatments. We evaluated treatments given according to the efficacy, variety of treatments in first line and duration of overall treatment. Results: We analyzed 10,843 APACs, related to the treatment of 4,338 patients. Patients were 57% male, 43% female, 72% were older than 50 years of age. The median number of APACs filled per patient was 2 (ranging from 1 to 15). The mean of different types of treatment prescribed to individual patients was 1.22 (1 - 5). We identified 19 different treatment protocols used as first line, of which 11 consisted of single drug and 8 of drug combinations. Over the two-year period, 3,097 (88%) and 281 (8%) patients initiated treatment with a minimally effective or moderately effective regimen, respectively. Only 0.4% of patients initiated their treatment with an effective therapy. The average length on any treatment was six months. Conclusion: More than 98% of patients treated between 2015 and 2017 for advanced melanoma at the Public Health System in Brazil received minimally effective treatments.
format Article
id doaj-art-040dfde987834692a5bb0c9a61d360a2
institution Kabale University
issn 2526-8732
language English
publishDate 2019-01-01
publisher Sociedade Brasileira de Oncologia Clínica, Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Clínica and Sociedade Brasileira de Radioterapia
record_format Article
series Brazilian Journal of Oncology
spelling doaj-art-040dfde987834692a5bb0c9a61d360a22024-11-29T10:30:40ZengSociedade Brasileira de Oncologia Clínica, Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Clínica and Sociedade Brasileira de RadioterapiaBrazilian Journal of Oncology2526-87322019-01-011510.5935/2526-8732.20190020How is advanced melanoma treated in the Public Health System in Brazil: a call for change.Rafael Aliosha Kaliks0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4728-535XAndre Marques Santos1Tiago Farina Matos2Luciana Holtz3Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Medical OncologyCliqueSUS, Scientific - São Paulo - SP - BrazilInstituto Oncoguia, Institute - São Paulo - SP - BrazilInstituto Oncoguia, Institute - São Paulo - SP - Brazil Introduction: Treatment of advanced melanoma has been revolutionized in the last decade. The adoption of new treatments is necessary in order to offer significantly longer survival. Objective: To evaluate how patients are being treated for advanced melanoma at the Public Health System in Brazil. Methods: We evaluated the Authorization of Ambulatory Care Procedure (APAC) related to all patients treated for advanced melanoma between January 2015 and December 2017. We grouped treatments according to their reported efficacy as being inadequate, minimally effective, moderately effective or effective treatments. We evaluated treatments given according to the efficacy, variety of treatments in first line and duration of overall treatment. Results: We analyzed 10,843 APACs, related to the treatment of 4,338 patients. Patients were 57% male, 43% female, 72% were older than 50 years of age. The median number of APACs filled per patient was 2 (ranging from 1 to 15). The mean of different types of treatment prescribed to individual patients was 1.22 (1 - 5). We identified 19 different treatment protocols used as first line, of which 11 consisted of single drug and 8 of drug combinations. Over the two-year period, 3,097 (88%) and 281 (8%) patients initiated treatment with a minimally effective or moderately effective regimen, respectively. Only 0.4% of patients initiated their treatment with an effective therapy. The average length on any treatment was six months. Conclusion: More than 98% of patients treated between 2015 and 2017 for advanced melanoma at the Public Health System in Brazil received minimally effective treatments.http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.5935/2526-8732.20190020MelanomaCombined modality therapyHealth systemsUnified health systemNeoplasm metastasis.MelanomaTerapia de modalidade combinadaSistemas de saúdeSistema único de saúdeMetástase neoplásica.
spellingShingle Rafael Aliosha Kaliks
Andre Marques Santos
Tiago Farina Matos
Luciana Holtz
How is advanced melanoma treated in the Public Health System in Brazil: a call for change.
Brazilian Journal of Oncology
Melanoma
Combined modality therapy
Health systems
Unified health system
Neoplasm metastasis.
Melanoma
Terapia de modalidade combinada
Sistemas de saúde
Sistema único de saúde
Metástase neoplásica.
title How is advanced melanoma treated in the Public Health System in Brazil: a call for change.
title_full How is advanced melanoma treated in the Public Health System in Brazil: a call for change.
title_fullStr How is advanced melanoma treated in the Public Health System in Brazil: a call for change.
title_full_unstemmed How is advanced melanoma treated in the Public Health System in Brazil: a call for change.
title_short How is advanced melanoma treated in the Public Health System in Brazil: a call for change.
title_sort how is advanced melanoma treated in the public health system in brazil a call for change
topic Melanoma
Combined modality therapy
Health systems
Unified health system
Neoplasm metastasis.
Melanoma
Terapia de modalidade combinada
Sistemas de saúde
Sistema único de saúde
Metástase neoplásica.
url http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.5935/2526-8732.20190020
work_keys_str_mv AT rafaelalioshakaliks howisadvancedmelanomatreatedinthepublichealthsysteminbrazilacallforchange
AT andremarquessantos howisadvancedmelanomatreatedinthepublichealthsysteminbrazilacallforchange
AT tiagofarinamatos howisadvancedmelanomatreatedinthepublichealthsysteminbrazilacallforchange
AT lucianaholtz howisadvancedmelanomatreatedinthepublichealthsysteminbrazilacallforchange