Timeliness of cancer care from diagnosis to treatment: a comparison between patients with breast, colon, rectal or lung cancer

Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess the value in measuring specific time intervals across cancer sites to identify potentially important variation in the timeliness of cancer care that may inform needed changes and/or improvements in coordination of care. Design. Retrospective population-level study. Demographic and treatment information were obtained from the Alberta Cancer Registry. Date of oncologist-consult was obtained from cancer medical records. Setting. Alberta, Canada. Participants. All patients diagnosed in 2005 with breast, colon, rectal or lung cancer who were residents of Alberta, Canada. Main Outcome Measures. (i) Number of days from diagnosis to first treatment by treatment modality and cancer site, (ii) number of days from surgery to post-surgery consultation and subsequent treatment and (iii) relationship between clinical and demographic factors and the cancer-specific provincial median time for outcome measures (i) and (ii). Results. Time from diagnosis to surgery, if first treatment, was ∼4 months for lung cancer compared with 1–2 months for breast and colorectal cancers. Factors associated with this time interval for breast and colorectal cancers was stage at diagnosis but was region of residence for lung cancer. Conclusions. Important variation within and across cancer sites identified in the care intervals evaluated in this study provides relevant information to inform local areas for improvement. Comparisons of these intervals across healthcare systems may also provide insights into strengths of different models for coordinating care.