ArticleCanadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada
Improved wait time intervals for prostate cancer patients in a multidisciplinary rapid diagnostic unit compared to a community-based referral pattern.
Article in Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Optimising prostate cancer pathways: Improving post-biopsy waiting times in a tertiary centre.BJUI compass · 2025Article
- The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Community Diagnostic Centres: A Rapid Review.International journal of public health · 2024Review
- Addressing Challenges and Controversies in the Management of Prostate Cancer with Multidisciplinary Teams.Targeted oncology · 2022Review
- Is faster enough? Wait time intervals in prostate cancer treatment.Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du CanadaArticle
- Diagnosis, referral, and primary treatment decisions in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients in a multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment program.Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du CanadaArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWait times in cancer diagnosis and treatment may significantly affect a patient's treatment outcome, prognosis and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to capture wait time intervals for patients with prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy (RT) at the Odette Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada and to compare patients diagnosed in a rapid diagnostic unit (RDU) versus the usual community referral process.
methodsPatients agreed to participate in the study during their RT planning sessions. A semi-structured interview and chart abstraction was conducted to record key wait time milestones.
resultsA total of 87 patients participated in the study: 44 RDU patients and 43 community patients. The median overall wait time intervals from suspicion of prostate cancer to RT was 138 and 183 days, respectively (p = 0.046). There were statistically significant differences observed for other key wait time intervals favouring the RDU cohort: suspicion to decision-to-treat (DTT; p = 0.012), urologist visit to diagnosis (p = 0.0094), diagnosis to DTT (p = 0.018), and diagnosis to treatment (p = 0.016). Risk category and Gleason sum was independently predictive of longer intervals from diagnosis to DTT.
interpretationWait time intervals from suspicion to treatment are significantly shorter for prostate cancer patients in 2011 to 2012 than in 2003 when patients were diagnosed and referred in the community setting. A prostate-specific RDU further reduced a number of key wait time intervals supporting more multidisciplinary RDUs for common diseases. Further work needs to be done to identify why delays are occurring and to develop new processes to minimize delays.
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Registered trials
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