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risk of death rises with four-week delay of cancer treatment

researchers say the analysis emphasizes the need to prioritize cancer services amid the second covid-19 wave.

by monika warzecha

nov 6 2020
read time 2 minute read
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mortality risks associated with delaying cancer treatment
researchers in canada and the u.k. teamed up to analyze cancer treatment delays. getty

a new study adds urgency to treating cancer as soon as possible, with researchers finding that even a four-week delay can lead to an increase in mortality by about 10 per cent in many cases. the risk rises the longer the wait.

a team of researchers from canada and the u.k. reviewed cancer studies published between january 2000 and april 2020. altogether, the 34 studies looked at seven different cancers — bladder, breast, colon, rectum, lung, cervix, and head and neck — and 1.2 million patients globally. the studies contained data on surgical interventions, systemic therapy such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

the team’s analysis, published in the bmj, emphasizes the risks associated with delaying treatment: patients had a six to 13 per cent higher risk of dying when treatment was delayed by four weeks. in the example of breast cancer surgery specifically, a four-week delay was associated with an excess risk of 10 deaths among 1,000 patients; a 12-week delay was associated with 31 deaths.

“in light of these results, policies focused on minimizing system level delays in cancer treatment initiation could improve population level survival outcomes,” says dr. timothy hanna, a member of the research team and investigator with the ontario cancer research institute at queen’s university.

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the covid-19 pandemic has led to a backlog of surgeries and other forms of treatment for a host of medical issues. in april, cbc news looked into provincial and national data and estimated that 100,000 patients across canada have had surgeries delayed due to covid-19.

backlogs and delays are particularly worrisome to members of the cancer study team.
“as we move towards the second covid-19 wave in many countries, the results emphasize the need to prioritize cancer services including surgery, drug treatments and radiotherapy as even a 4-week delay can significantly increase the risk of cancer death,” says dr. ajay aggarwal, oncologist, london school of hygiene and tropical medicine.
monika warzecha is the home page editor at healthing.ca

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