Case:
RWD reveals gaps in advanced breast cancer care

What if you could turn patient data into smarter decisions? That’s exactly what we achieved for a leading global medicines company seeking to improve treatment strategies and resource allocation for advanced breast cancer. With clear insights into patient needs and healthcare dynamics, they are now better equipped to prioritize resources effectively, improve patient outcomes, and strengthen their position in the market.

Here’s what our collaboration delivered:

• A leading global medicines company needed insights into advanced breast cancer patients to improve care and resource planning.
• We analyzed individual-level data from nationwide Danish healthcare registries.
• The study identified critical gaps in treatment initiation and regional disparities.
• Recommendations supported customized treatment strategies and prevention policies to ensure better access to care.
• Insights into patient data enabled the client to plan resources effectively, improving healthcare efficiency and supporting patients in living healthier lives.

The Challenge

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, with approximately 4,700 new cases each year in Denmark. Of these, 5 – 10% progress to locally advanced and metastatic stages. Understanding this patient population – its demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment pathways, and resource use – is essential for improving care.

The purpose of the study was to provide a comprehensive characterization of these advanced cases, including detailed analysis of treatment initiation, switches, and cessation, as well as hospital resource use and costs. Although Denmark’s healthcare registries are rich in data, insights into locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer cases remained fragmented. Connecting data from multiple national registries required specialized expertise to identify gaps and create actionable recommendations.

Advanced breast cancer patients often face significant delays in treatment initiation, and treatment patterns vary widely by region. Addressing these disparities and ensuring equitable access to care demanded a clearer understanding of the full patient journey, something our client sought to achieve with this study.

The Solution

We analyzed extensive real-world data from Denmark’s healthcare system to provide a comprehensive view of advanced breast cancer patients. By linking anonymized individual-level data from multiple national registries using Civil Registration Numbers (CPR), we gained insights into patient demographics, comorbidities, treatment pathways, and healthcare resource use.

“Our role was to transform complex data into clear insights that could drive better decision-making,” explained Andreas Høiberg Bentsen, Chief Adviser Real-World Evidence at Signum. “This study provided the client with a roadmap for addressing gaps and improving care for advanced breast cancer patients.”

Using real-world data to capture a full view of the patient journey, we revealed key areas where resources could better align with patient needs. For example, disparities in hospitalization rates and treatment initiation times between regions highlighted opportunities to streamline care and reduce delays. This holistic approach enabled us to uncover actionable insights that balance cost-efficiency with improved outcomes, supporting the client’s goals for equitable and effective healthcare planning.

The Results

Our analysis provided the client with a clear understanding of advanced breast cancer patients and actionable recommendations to address key challenges, such as uneven access to treatment, varying hospitalization rates, and differences in patient outcomes between regions.

The outcomes spanned three critical areas:

• For patients: The study highlighted delays in treatment initiation and regional disparities, paving the way for more equitable access to care. Recommendations included strategies to ensure patients receive timely and appropriate treatment based on their specific needs.
• For the hospital sector: Patients with advanced breast cancer spent an average of 20 days hospitalized after diagnosis, with significant variations in hospitalization needs across subpopulations. Our findings highlighted the uneven distribution of intensive care requirements, providing actionable insights to optimize resource planning and efficiency.
• For decision-makers: The study provided a detailed understanding of treatment patterns, resource allocation, and patient demographics. These insights equipped the client to engage more effectively with stakeholders by presenting data-backed recommendations, strengthening their role as a partner in improving healthcare outcomes.

The Danish health registries provided an exceptional foundation for this study, offering comprehensive data for the entire population that can be linked across time and dimensions, such as treatment pathways, resource utilization, patient demographics, and outcomes.

By leveraging this data, we uncovered critical treatment and resource use patterns, empowering our client to make more informed decisions. These insights not only support customized treatment strategies and prevention policies but also enable optimal resource planning – helping to ensure access to relevant treatments and ultimately improving patient well-being.