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Location: Marriott Marquis
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PQA 08 - PQA 08 Genitourinary Cancer, Patient Safety, and Nursing/Supportive Care Poster Q&A

3291 - National Use of PEG Hydrogel Spacer for Men with Prostate Cancer in the U.S. over Six Years

Tuesday, October 1, 2024
2:30 PM – 3:45 PM ET
Location: Hall C

Screen: 23

    Presenter(s)

  • Daniel Spratt, MD

    University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center
    Beachwood, OH, United States

A. Y. Jia1, Y. Shin2,3, S. Rojanasarot3, N. G. Zaorsky1, and D. E. Spratt1; 1University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 2University of Cincinnati, Cleveland, OH, 3Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA

Purpose/Objective(s): Since its FDA approval in 2015, over 220,000 men worldwide have been treated with a polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel spacer for prostate cancer. The factors influencing its widespread use are complex and may vary across different patient, provider, and facility characteristics. This study aims to characterize the use of the PEG hydrogel spacer within a US hospital database for patients with prostate cancer planned to receive definitive radiation therapy over time. Materials/Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the Premier PINC AI™ Healthcare Database, a real-world dataset containing approximately one-fifth of hospital facilities in the US. Men aged =18 who received a PEG hydrogel spacer, identified using charge master codes, between 2017 and 2022, were included in the study. Patient and practice characteristics, based on procedural dates during the study period, were identified and reported annually to demonstrate temporal changes over the 6-year period. The chi-square test examined differences in characteristics between 2017 and 2022. Results: In 2017, a total of 693 patients who received PEG hydrogel spacers while 2,510 patients were identified in 2022, reflecting a 262% change. Over 6 years, the Midwest experienced the largest increase in the crude number of patients, while the West had the smallest change. Between 2017-2022, the proportion of White men receiving the spacers increased from 63% to 79%, while the proportion of Black men changed from 25% to 16% (p < 0.001). In 2017, community practices performed 69% of total spacer volume and performed majority of spacers until 2018. Thereafter academic practices became the majority practice, and by 2022 comprised 67% of spacers placed. Urology and radiation oncology have consistently been the primary specialties, accounting for over 95% of spacer procedures. Conclusion: The use of PEG hydrogel spacers has increased in the US irrespective of analyzed patient and practice factors. This growth has comparably increased within both radiation oncology and urology specialties. The slower adoption of spacers specifically in Black patients and community practices requires further investigation into barriers and drivers of this observed disparity. Abstract 3291 - Table 1: PEG Hydrogel Spacer Usage in a US Hospital Database: 2017-2022
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
N 693 1,004 1,676 2,003 2,667 2,510
Age, Mean (SD) 67.3 (7.6) 68.0 (7.3) 68.3 (7.5) 68.6 (7.2) 69.5 (7.1) 69.3 (7.3)
Region, %
Northeast 4.0 10.5 16.1 23.5 22.8 22.6
Midwest 1.0 9.7 12.1 17.1 32.3 36.5
West 18.9 11.8 11.8 8.8 6.6 6.3
South 76.1 68.1 60.0 50.6 38.4 34.6
Race, %
White 63.1 72.3 73.4 75.1 79.1 78.9
Black 25.3 20.5 18.1 16.3 15.0 16.2
Asian 1.3 1.4 0.7 1.4 0.6 0.5
Other 10.3 5.8 7.8 7.1 5.4 4.5
Facility Status, %
Academic 31.3 46.4 52.3 54.3 59.2 66.9
Community 68.7 53.6 47.4 45.7 40.8 33.2
Provider Specialty, %
Urology 70.6 55.8 62.7 68.8 62.1 66.5
Radiation Oncology 28.0 40.4 34.2 27.7 30.8 28.6
Other 1.4 3.8 3.2 3.6 7.2 4.9