Although cancer treatments and survival outcomes have improved, one key aspect of cancer care in the United States has steadily declined over the past decade: the time patients wait for surgery.
According to research published in JAMA Surgery, patients with six major types of cancer are waiting longer for surgery than they did in 2012. The cancers examined in the study were breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, stomach, and esophageal cancer.
Timely treatment is considered an important measure of health care quality. Delays in cancer surgery have been linked to poorer outcomes, including lower survival rates, as well as increased anxiety and emotional distress for patients.
The study analyzed data from more than 2.7 million patients diagnosed with nonmetastatic stage I, II, or III cancer requiring surgery between 2012 and 2023. Researchers led by UCLA cancer specialist Timothy Donahue divided the data into four periods: 2012–2015, 2016–2019, 2020–2021, and 2022–2023.
Wait times increased for all six cancer types during the study period, with delays rising steadily across each time group. For breast cancer, the average wait increased from 34 days in 2012–2015 to 45 days in 2022–2023. Colon cancer surgery wait times rose from 20 to 31 days, while lung cancer delays increased from 41 to 53 days.
Patients with pancreatic cancer experienced an increase from 23 to 32 days. The average wait for stomach cancer surgery rose from 35 to 49 days, while esophageal cancer wait times increased from 38 to 48 days.
Why cancer surgery wait times are increasing
The study also found that more patients experienced lengthy delays before surgery. The percentage of patients waiting at least 30 days increased across all six cancer types. The proportion facing “extreme” delays of 60 days or longer also rose during the study period.
Researchers say the findings highlight growing challenges within the US health care system, including limited surgical capacity, staffing shortages, complex referrals, and increased demand for cancer treatment. Reducing delays in cancer surgery could improve outcomes and reduce the anxiety and distress associated with waiting for treatment.
Source: arstechnica.com