A study published in JAMA Surgery indicates that wait times between cancer diagnosis and the start of treatment in the U.S. have increased by nearly two weeks over the past decade. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Massachusetts General Hospital analyzed data from over two million patients diagnosed between January 2012 and December 2023. The study focused on adults with early to locally advanced stages of six common cancers: breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, stomach, and esophageal, who underwent surgery as part of their initial treatment.
The analysis found that median wait times across all six cancer types increased by more than 10 days during the study period. Specifically, stomach cancer wait times rose from 35 days to 49 days, and lung cancer wait times increased from 41 days to 53 days. For breast cancer, the wait time grew from 34 to 45 days, while colon cancer delays increased from 20 to 31 days. Pancreatic cancer wait times climbed from 23 to 32 days, and esophageal cancer delays grew from 38 to 48 days. Additionally, a growing number of patients waited 60 days or longer to begin treatment.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a senior medical analyst, stated that the healthcare system requires immediate improvements. The study also highlighted that longer wait times were more pronounced among Black patients, individuals on Medicaid, those in lower-income areas, patients traveling longer distances for care, and those treated at high-volume hospitals. The West region experienced longer delays compared to other areas, and the use of robotic surgery was associated with increased wait times for non-breast cancers.
The authors of the study cautioned that delays in surgical treatment are linked to higher mortality rates and poorer long-term survival. Supporting commentary from Dr. Lia D. Delaney and Dr. Sherry M. Wren from Stanford School of Medicine noted that while cancer care has become more sophisticated, regionalization efforts could create barriers to timely treatment unless capacity and coordination improve simultaneously. The study's limitations included reliance on retrospective data, which did not provide insights into the specific reasons for individual treatment delays.