Studying Off Label Insurance Coverage for Patients With Cutaneous Cancers a "Filter" Observational Study

This study evaluates the time spent on obtaining insurance approval and drugs, means of insurance coverage, out-of-pocket costs for patients, and the surgical outcomes after neoadjuvant treatment is completed in skin cancer patients receiving "off label" and "on label" neoadjuvant treatment. "Neoadjuvant therapy" means cancer treatment given before surgery. However, in many instances, neoadjuvant therapy is used as an "off-label" approach for several types of skin cancers. "Off-label" means that the FDA has not yet approved its use for that type of cancer. Therefore, insurance approval of these "off-label" treatments could be delayed compared to label use, and "off-label" treatments may require several weeks of pre-authorization. There is evidence that the delayed start of cancer treatment can lead to poorer outcomes.