Cancer treatment wait times climb sharply across the United States
A new JAMA Surgery study finds median delays between cancer diagnosis and first treatment have risen by more than 10 days over the past decade, affecting all six cancers examined.
A recent analysis published in JAMA Surgery examined national records of more than two million adults diagnosed with early to locally advanced breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, stomach or esophageal cancer from 2012 through 2023. The study measured the interval from diagnosis to the first therapeutic intervention, whether surgery or neoadjuvant therapy, and found median wait times grew by over 10 days for every cancer type, with stomach cancer rising from 35 to 49 days and lung cancer from 41 to 53 days.
A larger share of patients now wait 60 days or longer, and the increase was most pronounced among Black patients, Medicaid enrollees, residents of poorer neighborhoods, and those traveling farther for care. The West region and high-volume academic hospitals showed longer delays, and for non-breast cancers, robotic surgery use correlated with extended wait times. Experts warned that such postponements could worsen survival outcomes, while study authors noted limitations due to the retrospective nature of the National Cancer Database.
Why it matters
Longer cancer treatment delays can reduce survival odds and reveal inequities in U.S. healthcare access.
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