US cancer treatment wait time increases

Research published in JAMA Surgery indicates that cancer patients in the United States are experiencing steadily increasing wait times between diagnosis and the commencement of treatment. A study of over 2.7 million patients utilizing the National Cancer Database shows that median wait times rose between 2012 and 2023 for several cancer types, including breast, colon, lung, gastric, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers.

Across all analyzed cancer types, median wait times grew by more than 10 days, representing an increase of nearly two weeks over the last decade. Specific examples include breast cancer, which increased from 34 to 45 days; lung cancer, which rose from 41 to 53 days; and stomach cancer, which rose from 35 to 49 days. Colon cancer wait times also increased from 20 to 31 days. The research noted a rise in patients facing extreme delays of 60 days or more.

Contributing factors identified include staffing challenges, limited facility resources, increased referrals from urgent care, and the growing complexity of modern oncology care. Medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel stated that the healthcare system ‘needs fixing immediately,’ noting that these delays are occurring even at high-volume academic medical centers. The data suggests structural issues within the system.

Disparities in access were observed, as high-volume academic hospitals experienced more significant delays than community hospitals. Furthermore, the research found that Black Americans, lower-income patients, Medicaid or Medicare recipients, and individuals traveling long distances for care were disproportionately affected by these delays.