As cancer treatments have advanced and outcomes have improved, one aspect of cancer care in the US has consistently worsened over the last decade: the wait time for surgery. According to a study in JAMA Surgery, patients with one of six types of cancer—breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, gastric, and esophageal—have faced longer wait times for surgery than in 2012.

The findings are based on data from over 2.7 million patients with non‑metastatic stage I–III cancers requiring surgery between 2012 and 2023, analyzed by researchers led by Timothy Donahue at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Wait times for all six cancer types increased incrementally across four periods (2012‑2015, 2016‑2019, 2020‑2021, 2022‑2023). For example, breast cancer wait times rose from 34 days to 45 days, colon from 20 to 31 days, lung from 41 to 53 days, pancreatic from 23 to 32 days, gastric from 35 to 49 days, and esophageal from 38 to 48 days.

Rates of prolonged waits (≥30 days) and extreme waits (≥60 days) grew for every cancer type, underscoring systemic delays that threaten timely treatment. The study also noted that overall wait times grew and the proportion of patients experiencing long delays increased across all cancer types, reflecting broader challenges in the healthcare system.