Study Finds Cancer Treatment Delays Have Grown Over Past Decade

An extensive review of more than 2.7 million cancer patients indicates that the time from diagnosis to the first therapeutic intervention has steadily increased over the last decade. The investigators used the National Cancer Database, maintained by the American College of Surgeons, and limited their analysis to stage 1-3 tumors considered surgically resectable at presentation across six cancer sites. Comparing data from 2012 through 2023, they found that patients now experience longer waits for surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or other initial treatments.

Tim Donahue, the study’s senior author and a surgical oncologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, described the trend as strikingly uniform across all cancers examined. The findings raise concerns about potential disease progression during these extended intervals and highlight a systemic issue in cancer care delivery.