Mortality due to cancer treatment delay: systematic review and meta-analysis
In review of 34 studies for 17 indications (n=1,272,681), data consistently show 4 week treatment delay linked to increased mortality; this association was significant (p<0.05) for 13 indications. These data have implications in light of coronavirus 2019 (covid-19) pandemic.
Source:
British Medical Journal
SPS commentary:
An editorial notes this new work reinforces the critical need for system level efforts to minimise waiting times for cancer treatments, and these data, by quantifying relative impact of treatment delays, can be used as a resource for modelling studies exploring how future treatment delays could influence absolute measures such as years of life lost to patients with cancer or, in pandemics, the balance of risk and benefit associated with pandemic measures at the population level.