Cancer surgery wait times rose about 10 days across six cancer types in U.S. study
A JAMA Surgery analysis of more than 2.7 million patients found longer waits from diagnosis to cancer surgery between 2012 and 2023. Median waits rose by more than 10 days across breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, gastric, and esophageal cancers.
LOS ANGELES - Patients with six common cancers waited longer for surgery in recent years than a decade earlier, according to a JAMA Surgery study of more than 2.7 million U.S. cases.
Researchers led by Dr. Timothy Donahue of the University of California, Los Angeles, examined non-metastatic stage I to III cancers that needed surgery from 2012 through 2023. They compared four periods: 2012 to 2015, 2016 to 2019, 2020 to 2021, and 2022 to 2023.
Median wait times rose across all six cancer types. Breast cancer waits moved from 34 days to 45 days. Colon cancer went from 20 to 31 days. Lung cancer rose from 41 to 53 days. Pancreatic cancer went from 23 to 32 days. Gastric cancer rose from 35 to 49 days. Esophageal cancer moved from 38 to 48 days.
Shares of patients waiting 30 days or more, and 60 days or more, also climbed. Timeliness is a quality measure in cancer care. Earlier research has linked longer delays to worse outcomes and higher anxiety.
The authors pointed to health system consolidation that sends more patients to large, high-volume centers. Those centers often deliver strong specialized care. The study raises the question of whether bottlenecks can offset some of that benefit. Longer waits hit harder for uninsured or Medicaid patients, Black patients compared with white patients, lower-income patients, and people who travel farther for treatment.
Researchers suggested centers expand capacity and tighten scheduling and referrals. They also said uncomplicated cases, such as some breast-conserving surgeries or straightforward colectomies, may not always need the highest-volume hub if the transfer only adds delay.
Fox News coverage quoted clinicians warning that the pattern needs fixing. The study is observational. It does not prove that every extra day caused worse survival in every patient. It does show a clear national lengthening of the path from diagnosis to the operating room.
Go Deeper
How large was the study?
Researchers analyzed more than 2.7 million U.S. patients with non-metastatic stage I to III cancers that required surgery between 2012 and 2023.
Which cancers were included?
Breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, gastric, and esophageal cancers. Median waits rose for all six.
How much longer were the waits?
Median waits rose by more than 10 days across the six cancers. Breast cancer moved from 34 to 45 days, and lung cancer from 41 to 53 days, for example.
Why might waits be rising?
Authors linked the trend partly to consolidation that funnels more patients into large specialized centers, creating bottlenecks even when quality at those centers is high.
What can patients ask for?
Ask what is driving any delay, whether interim therapy is planned, and whether another qualified center can schedule sooner. Bring a caregiver to scheduling calls when possible.
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