Influence of Delay of Surgery on the Survival of Patients With Bronchogenic Carcinom

Objective Bronchogenic carcinoma is the main cause of tumor-related deaths among men in Spain. The British Thoracic Society recommends that no longer than 4 weeks should pass from the moment a patient's name is placed on a waiting list until surgery takes place. We analyzed the influence of time until surgery on survival in patients with lung cancer. Patients and Methods We operated on 108 patients diagnosed with bronchogenic carcinoma between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2002. The time until surgery was defined by the date of application for care in our department until the moment of surgery. Results The mean time on the waiting list was 56.87 days. No significant differences in mean wait-list times could be found in relation to tumor stage, type of surgery, patient age, or complete resection rate. The median survival in this patient series was 35 months. No significant differences in survival were found in relation to time until surgery in either the univariate or multivariate analysis. Pathologic stage, complete resection of the tumor, and patient age were prognostic factors. Conclusions We found no evidence that delaying surgery affects survival in lung cancer patients. However, efforts should be made to reduce surgical wait-list times to bring them into line with the recommendations of scientific societies.