The burden of skeletal-related events in patients with prostate cancer and bone metastasis

Background: To assess contemporary characteristics, hospital admissions, charges, and mortality in patients with prostate cancer (CaP) who have bone metastases and skeletal-related events in an observational study.

Methods: Relying on the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), patients with CaP with bone metastases between 1998 and 2010 were abstracted. Patients who experienced skeletal-related events were identified, and hospital charges were calculated. Generalized linear regression analyses focused on in-hospital mortality.

Results: Between 1998 and 2010, a weighted estimate of 443,929 CaP visits with bone metastases was recorded. Of these, 15.9% experienced at least 1 SRE. The rate of SRE decreased from 18% to 15.4% (1998-2010, estimated annual percent change [EAPC] =-1.44%, P = 0.005) and the SRE-associated mortality decreased from 8.5% to 4.7% (1998-2010, EAPC =-3.68%, P = 0.004). Nevertheless, the inflation-adjusted charges associated with hospital visits of patients with CaP with bone metastases rose by 92% to $1,512,449,106 (EAPC = +8.82%, P<0.001), and SRE charges rose by 94% to $369,256,799 (EAPC =+7.62%, P<0.001). Predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients with SRE included age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.02), comorbidities (≥3 vs. 0-1, OR = 1.72), SRE of the upper limb (OR = 1.75), SRE of the lower limb (OR = 1.35), spinal cord compression (OR = 1.48), radiation (OR = 0.68), surgery (OR = 0.32), and year of hospitalization (2010 vs. 1998, OR = 0.54; all P< 0.03).

Conclusions: From 1998 to 2010, the incidence of SRE and SRE-associated mortality in patients with CaP and bone metastases decreased. However, charges for SRE-associated hospitalizations have increased alarmingly. Future health care policies should strive to provide cost-effective prevention and management of SREs in this population.