US cancer patients face longer wait times for treatment

A study of more than 2.7 million American patients published in JAMA Surgery reveals that the time between cancer diagnosis and the start of treatment has increased over the last decade. The research, which utilized the National Cancer Database, examined patients with stage 1 to 3 breast, colon, lung, gastric, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers who were eligible for surgery.

Median wait times increased for all six cancer types between 2012 and 2023. For example, breast cancer wait times rose from 34 to 45 days, colon cancer from 20 to 31 days, and lung cancer from 41 to 53 days. The study also noted a rise in patients experiencing extreme delays of 60 days or more.

Researchers identified several contributing factors, including staffing challenges, limited facility resources, increased referrals from urgent care, and the growing complexity of modern cancer care. The data showed that high-volume academic hospitals experienced more significant delays compared to community hospitals. Additionally, the study found that Black Americans, lower-income patients, and those covered by Medicaid or Medicare were disproportionately affected by these increasing wait times.