ADC Treatment Rates Increase 3.7-Fold with Faster Access, Yet Older Women Face Inequitable Access Barriers

Strategic Insights -

A new analysis conducted by Komodo Health and the Tigerlily Foundation, a national breast cancer patient advocacy organization, reveals significant progress in the adoption of antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) treatment in metastatic breast cancer. The study confirms growing clinical acceptance of this innovative therapy but also highlights persistent inequities in access based on age and insurance status. According to the analysis, ADC treatment rates increased 3.7-fold from 2021 to 2023, rising from 1,353 to 4,965 per 100,000 newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer patients. Additionally, the median time to treatment decreased from 331 to 109 days. However, an analysis of age and insurance status revealed a disparity: Women age 66 and older had the lowest ADC treatment rates and experienced a median of 242 days to treatment, 3.4 times lower than the treatment rate seen in the youngest cohort, ages 19 to 35.

Key Takeaways:

  • ADC treatment rates increased 3.7-fold from 2021 to 2023, with a 3,612 increase in treatment rates per 100,000 newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer patients.
  • The median time to treatment decreased from 331 to 109 days, indicating faster access to treatment for patients.
  • Women age 66 and older had the lowest ADC treatment rates and experienced a median of 242 days to treatment, 3.4 times lower than the treatment rate seen in the youngest cohort, ages 19 to 35.
  • Black women had the highest overall ADC treatment rate, primarily driven by Trodelvy use for triple-negative breast cancer, a subtype more common in this population.
  • Asian women showed higher rates of HER2-targeted ADCs (Enhertu, Kadcyla).
  • Medicaid claims showed patients with the highest treatment rates, nearly twice the rate of patients insured by Medicare and higher than commercially insured patients.
  • Marmot, Komodo's healthcare-native AI platform, rapidly analyzes complex care patterns in minutes, providing evidentiary-grade insights needed to confirm the momentum of therapeutic innovation while addressing systemic inequities.

Statistics:

  • 3.7-fold increase in ADC treatment rates from 2021 to 2023.
  • 3,612 increase in treatment rates per 100,000 newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer patients.
  • 331-day median time to treatment in 2021.
  • 109-day median time to treatment in 2023.
  • 3.4-fold difference in treatment rates between the youngest cohort (ages 19 to 35) and women age 66 and older.
  • 242-day median time to treatment for women age 66 and older.

Sources:

  • Komodo Health
  • Tigerlily Foundation
  • Siddharth S, Sharma D. Racial Disparity and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in African-American Women: A Multifaceted Affair between Obesity, Biology, and Socioeconomic Determinants. Cancers. 2018;10(12):514. https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.3390/cancers10120514