PIH44 SURGICAL TREATMENT OF PATIENTS NEWLY DIAGNOSED WITH UTERINE FIBROIDS: A CLAIMS-BASED DATA ANALYSIS

Most women develop uterine fibroids (UF) during their reproductive years, and approximately 25% of them have UF symptoms affecting quality of life. Surgery remains the primary treatment option. Surgical treatment patterns were assessed in patients newly diagnosed with UF, with dates of diagnosis derived from claims. Incident patients were identified from the IMS PharMetrics™ database (January 2007–June 2017) based on their first claim for UF, including a 3-year history without UF-related claims and at least 2 years of follow-up after diagnosis. Age at diagnosis, time to first/second surgery, surgery type, and pharmacological treatments in the year prior to initial surgery were analyzed descriptively. 123,788 incident patients were identified; average age at diagnosis was 47 years (SD, 8 years). 51% of patients had surgery during the follow-up period after diagnosis (mean, 4 years). Mean time to first surgical intervention was 172 days (median, 27 days). Hysterectomy accounted for 67% of initial and 50% of second surgeries. Other initial surgeries included myomectomy (14%) and endometrial ablation (12%); 20% of these patients required a second surgery. Of surgically treated patients, 41% received prescription pharmacologic treatment in the year prior to surgery, including 2% who were treated with a drug specifically indicated for UF. Definitive surgical treatment of UF by hysterectomy was common. Despite availability of minimally invasive procedures, uptake was low and the rate of re-treatment, particularly with hysterectomy, was high. There is a need for effective pharmacologic options that can be used long term to avoid or delay invasive surgery.