Overview
Before real-world survival data can be shared across international borders, researchers must establish whether patient populations and treatment practices are comparable between countries. This study analyzed baseline patient features and first-line (1L) treatment choices among patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) in the United States (47,338 patients) using the Flatiron Health Research Database and Finland (1,180 patients) using the HUS CORE dataset between 2015 and 2025.
Researchers found that key patient features—including age, sex, tumor histology, and smoking history—were well-balanced between both countries. However, 1L treatment patterns differed: platinum-based chemotherapy was more common in Finland (49.0% vs. 29.8% in the US), whereas immunotherapy-based regimens were more frequent in the US. Immunotherapy adoption trends moved in parallel, with Finland lagging by approximately two years due to local regulatory and reimbursement timelines.
Why this matters
This research confirms that real-world mNSCLC patient populations in the US and Finland are clinically similar, while revealing that treatment differences stem primarily from drug approval and funding timelines. Understanding these baseline similarities and accounting for regional treatment lags is essential for accurately transporting real-world survival evidence across borders to support global health technology assessments.