Incidence, prevalence, and care for patients with lymphatic malformations (LMs) in the U.S.: A claims-based analysis

Summary: Introduction & Objectives<b>:</b> Lymphatic malformations are a type of vascular anomaly. LMs have a wide spectrum of presentation, from focal and simple to complex and life-threatening. Cutaneous involvement is characteristic of microcystic and mixed types of LM; such patients are often treated by dermatologists who can be part of multidisciplinary teams. There are no approved pharmaceutical treatments specifically for cutaneous LM, but off-label therapies, sclerotherapy, and ongoing clinical trials in patients with LM have increased interest in understanding the epidemiology of LM. No large dataset has been analyzed to determine the number of U.S. LM cases. We used insurance claims to understand epidemiology, diagnosis, physician specialties, and centers of care. Materials & Methods<b>:</b> Medical and pharmaceutical claims data from January 1, 2015 through September 30, 2024 was licensed from Komodo Health. Records from approximately 375,000 patients with potentially relevant claims were included in this analysis. Criteria to guide diagnostic coding for LMs were developed by a professional organization and were utilized in this project. Results: 84,062 high-probability patients with LM diagnosis were identified. An additional 91,349 potential patients were also found, for a total potential pool of 175,410 patients. Using an estimate of cutaneous involvement from the literature, a range of 44,553- 92,967 patients are likely to have skin-involvement. Diagnosis rates differ by age, with young children having a higher probability of diagnosis than adults. Conclusion<b>:</b> This study is the first to quantify the U.S. LM population based on claims data. This may assist vascular anomaly centers, dermatologists and other providers to design clinical trials and meet the needs of LM patients as new therapeutic options arise. Ashley Kline¹, David Lapidus¹, Katherine Tsai¹, Ionela Iacobas² 1. Palvella Therapeutics, Wayne, PA, United States. 2. Hematology Oncology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, United States. Clinical Research: Epidemiology and Observational Research