Source: Fox News
Summary
A recent study published in JAMA Surgery found that wait times between a cancer diagnosis and the start of treatment in the US have increased by nearly two weeks over the past decade. Researchers analyzed data from over two million patients diagnosed with six common cancers between 2012 and 2023. The study found that median wait times grew by more than 10 days, with the longest increases in stomach and lung cancer. The delays were seen even at high-volume academic medical centers and affected certain groups, such as Black patients and those on Medicaid, more than others.
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The advice sounds familiar.
The study’s findings are a reminder that the US healthcare system’s ability to provide timely cancer treatment is a complex issue. The increasing wait times, despite advances in cancer care, highlight the need for improvements in capacity and coordination. The study’s authors noted that efforts to improve quality may inadvertently create barriers to timely treatment. The delays in surgical treatment have been tied to higher death rates and worse long-term survival in previous medical research.
The wait times for basic cancer operations in non-metastatic diseases is high and increasing since 2012, as Dr. Marc Siegel noted. This is part of the healthcare system that needs fixing immediately.
As cancer care continues to regionalize, efforts to improve quality may inadvertently create barriers to timely treatment unless capacity and coordination evolve in parallel, as Lia D. Delaney and Sherry M. Wren emphasized.
The study’s findings feel like a familiar refrain in the ongoing discussion about the US healthcare system’s ability to provide timely and effective care.
Author: Evan Null
