Women face a postcode lottery of waiting times when seeking treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer, according to new research.
Around one in five women in some areas have had to wait more than three months to receive potentially life-saving chemotherapy treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. This form accounts for about 15 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses.
Women in the Midlands faced average waits of 50 days, compared to 38 days in the north west.
Triple negative breast cancer must be treated quickly due to its aggressiveness, and surgery combined with chemotherapy is the standard treatment.
“Given the evidence of an increased risk of mortality as the time to chemotherapy increases, there is a need to further investigate the causes of regional disparities,” says Dr. Pinkie Chambers of University College London, one of the teams. research whose study appears in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
Around one in five women in some areas had to wait more than three months for potentially life-saving chemotherapy treatment. (File photo)
Previous research has shown that the time between surgery and chemotherapy is important. (File photo)
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, accounting for 25 percent of all new cancer diagnoses in women.
Previous research has shown that the time between surgery and chemotherapy is important, with longer times being associated with worse survival and early treatment prolonging the disease-free period.
The researchers, from University College London, Nottingham University Hospital, Christie NHS Trust and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, analyzed data on patients with TNBC in different areas of England to see if there were differences in waiting times. The data covered a two-year period, from 2014 to 2015, and included information on the time between surgery and chemotherapy for more than 1,000 women with TNBC.
The longest average periods between surgery and chemotherapy were in the Midlands, 50 days, followed by the South East and South West, 49 days, the East of England, 47 days, the North East and Yorkshire, 45 days, London, 43 days and the northwest. .
London and the North West had the highest percentages of patients receiving chemotherapy within 30 days of surgery – 33 per cent compared to a low of 20 per cent in the Midlands.
The researchers classified delayed treatment as waits of more than 90 days or three months.
Patients in the East of England, Midlands and South West start regions had the highest proportions of delays in treatment times, with 22 per cent of patients taking more than three months to start chemotherapy.
Breast cancer symptoms to look out for include lumps and swelling, dimpling of the skin, color changes, discharge, and rash or crusting around the nipple.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, accounting for 25 percent of all new cancer diagnoses in women. (File photo)
The Midlands had the lowest proportion of patients starting treatment within 20 days of surgery.
It is not clear why there are differences.
“Disparities between regions warrant further research to identify potential gaps in service delivery leading to delays at specific cancer treatment centers, and to fully understand where and why delays occur,” Dr. Chambers said.
‘Significant associations of times greater than 90 days with worse survival outcomes have been reported.
‘Research suggests that early administration of chemotherapy prolongs the disease-free period. Minimizing the time period is important to achieve optimal results, as this period is related to survival.’