Real-world database analysis of the characteristics and treatment patterns of patients with endometrial cancer in Japan

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> The aim was to identify the characteristics and treatment patterns of early and advanced-stage endometrial cancer patients using real-world data. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Patients’ data extracted from a Japanese health insurance claims database were analyzed. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of the 12,449 endometrial cancer patients, 74.4% were in stage I, 5.1% in stage II, 12.0% in stage III, and 8.4% in stage IV. Their median age was 60.5 years, higher in advanced stages (III/IV) than in early stages (I/II). Overall, 11,055 patients (88.8%) underwent surgery, and 4,977 patients (40.0%) received post-surgery treatment, including chemotherapy (4,441: 35.7%), chemoradiation therapy (379: 3.0%), and radiation therapy (157 patients: 1.3%); 1,394 patients (11.2%) were not treated by surgery, and 742 patients (6.0%) received other treatment, with chemotherapy (548: 4.4%), radiation therapy (105: 0.8%), and chemoradiation therapy (89: 0.7%). The rate of patients undergoing surgery decreased, and that receiving chemotherapy increased significantly as cancer stage progressed. Paclitaxel/carboplatin was the most frequent 1^st-line regimen (85.4% of patients), whereas various combination and monotherapy regimens were used as second- and third-line regimens. The most frequent second-line monotherapy was paclitaxel. The rate of monotherapy increased as the treatment line progressed (first-line 3.5%, second-line 22.0%, and third-line 36.4%). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The characteristics and treatment patterns of endometrial cancer patients differed between early and advanced stages, as did the chemotherapy regimens among first, second, and third lines. Since various regimens were used for second- and third -line chemotherapies, development of appropriate second- and third-line chemotherapy regimens is warranted. A real-world analysis of cancer patients using a nationwide claims database may be a valuable approach to identifying unmet medical needs.