Clinical impact of delays in the management of lung cancer patients in the last decade: systematic review

Abstract

Introduction Due to the importance of lung cancer early treatment because of its severity and extent worldwide a systematic literature review was conducted about the impact of delays in waiting times on the disease prognosis. Materials and Methods We conducted a systematic search of observational studies (2010-2020) including adult patients diagnosed with lung cancer and reporting healthcare timelines and their clinical consequences. Results We included 38 articles containing data on waiting times and prognosis; only 31 articles linked this forecast to a specific waiting time. We identified 41 healthcare time intervals and found medians of 6-121 days from diagnosis to treatment and 4-19.5 days from primary care to specialist visit: 37.5% of the intervals indicated better prognosis with longer waiting times. Conclusions All articles emphasized that waiting times must be reduced to achieve good management and prognosis of lung cancer. Further prospective studies are needed on the relationship between waiting times and prognosis of lung cancer.

Size-Controlled Preparation of Docetaxel- and Curcumin-Loaded Nanoemulsions for Potential Pulmonary Delivery

“…In 2020, lung cancer resulted in approximately 18% of cancer deaths, and this illness is one of the most pervasive cancers worldwide [ 1 ]. Limited access to prompt diagnosis and therapy due to the lack of early observable symptoms has resulted in the five-year survival rate for lung cancer becoming the lowest among all cancers [ 2 , 3 ]. Typically, the disease is only discernible at phases where the cancerous cells or tissues are numerous and widespread in the body, during which chemotherapy is a routine remedial recourse to curb the malignant tumor from spreading.…”

A comparison of the effect of time-to-treatment on survival according to economic status of lung cancer patients with chronic diseases

“…A large variability in time-to-treatment for lung cancer has previously been reported. Some studies found that shorter time-to-treatment was associated with improved prognosis, while others found the opposite or concluded that no signi cant relationship exists between waiting times and cancer prognosis [16,17]. Such inconsistencies may be attributable to the waiting time bias, in which the most urgent patients are more likely to receive care most rapidly following diagnosis, in addition to variability in the sociodemographic or clinical characteristics of the study participants and the utilization of different cutoff values for classifying delays in treatment [18,19].…”

A comparison of the effect of time-to-treatment on survival according to economic status of lung cancer patients with chronic diseases in Korea

“…A large variability in time-to-treatment for lung cancer has previously been reported. Some studies found that shorter time-to-treatment was associated with improved prognosis, while others found the opposite or concluded that no signi cant relationship exists between waiting times and cancer prognosis [16,17].…”