Time to treatment of prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. The incidence of prostate cancer increases systematically. The correlation between waiting time for oncological treatment and survival prognosis in prostate cancer is not clearly determined. The aim of the study was to estimate the waiting time from suspicion until prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment in Warmia and Mazury Voivodeship. Ninety-six consecutive prostate cancer patients treated with radical radiotherapy between November 2016 and June 2017 in the Department of Radiation Oncology of the Hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with Warmia and Mazury Oncology Center in Olsztyn were included in the analysis. A questionnaire prepared especially for this study, and individual interviews with patients were used in the study. The obtained data was supplemented with medical records and hospital databases. In the case of twenty-nine men, the PSA concentration was measured due to urinary disorders, and the median time from symptoms until the first PSA test in that group was 168 days. The median time from PSA concentration > 4 ng/ml to biopsy of prostate cancer and start of treatment for all patients was 62 and 156 days, respectively. Hormone therapy was administered the quickest. A positive correlation was observed between the waiting time from histopathological confirmation of prostate cancer until treatment, and the distance from one’s place of residence to the oncological center (p < 0.05).