An analysis of national trends in Medicare from 2013 to 2023 shows that radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) delivery spiked over the past decade, according to research presented February 18 at a symposium in Palm Desert, CA.
Intravenous administrations of cancer therapies such as Xofigo, Lutathera, and Pluvicto increased by more than 2000% between 2013 and 2023, noted presenter Sean Maroongroge, MD, of the City of Hope in Duarte, CA.
“We observed substantial growth in overall use across specialties, with measurable shifts in relative participation over time,” Maroongroge said. The research was delivered at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ASTRO) inaugural Multidisciplinary Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Symposium.
There has been rapid expansion in the use of RPT in recent years, yet the current landscape of RPT delivery in the U.S. is poorly understood, Maroongroge noted. In addition, there has been growing recognition that a multidisciplinary approach to delivering these treatments may be optimal, given the unique logistical, regulatory, and expertise-based demands these therapies require.
To shed light on temporal and specialty-specific trends in intravenous (IV) RPT delivery, Maroongroge and colleagues evaluated temporal and specialty-specific trends in intravenous (IV) RPT delivery among Medicare beneficiaries from 2013 to 2023. They identified administrations of IV RPT (Current Procedural Terminology 79101) and grouped providers into specialty categories (nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology/interventional radiology, radiation oncology, medical oncology/hematology, and other).
According to the results, over the study period, annual IV RPT administrations increased from 529 to 12,395, representing a more than 20-fold increase and a 37% compound annual growth rate, Maroongroge reported. In 2023, diagnostic radiology/interventional radiology accounted for 45.2% of all IV RPT services, nuclear medicine accounted for 36.6%, radiation oncology accounted for 15.3%, and medical oncology/hematology accounted for 2.5%.
In addition, all major specialties demonstrated substantial absolute growth in IV RPT participation, and relative participation patterns evolved over time, according to the research.
“These findings reflect the evolving multidisciplinary nature of radiopharmaceutical therapy and underscore the need for cross-disciplinary research, training, credentialing and clinical workflows as adoption continues to expand,” Maroongroge said.
Maroongroge concluded by noting that the analysis was based on Medicare Part B professional claims, which do not fully capture some treatments delivered in hospital outpatient settings and may therefore undercount total RPT use.