Averaging more than 2.5 months, the span of time between initial lesion detection and lung resection in patients with lung cancer is often too long, according to researchers who reviewed hospital records at one community health system. Their findings appear in the August Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
“This delay in treatment can cause the cancer to advance and reduce the odds of survival for the patient,” said researcher Raymond Osarogiagbon, MD.
In addition, important diagnostic steps are often skipped along the way. Researchers found that just 10% of patients in the study had the recommended combination of three staging tests before surgery: a computed tomography (CT) scan, a positron emission tomography (PET)/CT scan, and an invasive test.
The study focused on 614 patients who received surgery for suspected lung cancer between January 2009 and June 2013 at Baptist Memorial Hospital, Memphis, TN, and Baptist Memorial Hospital, Southaven, MS. Reviewing their hospital records, researchers found that 27% of patients had no preoperative diagnostic procedure, 22% had no preoperative PET/CT scan, and 88% had no invasive preoperative staging test.
The time between lesion identification and surgery ranged from 43 days to 189 days, according to the study. The median number of days was 84.
“Lung cancer care is complicated, and all key specialists must be actively engaged early on with each patient to determine the best sequence of tests and treatment for each individual,” said Dr Osarogiagbon. “Programs that provide treatment for lung cancer also must measure their performance actively and carefully in order to improve the quality of care and improve patients’ chances of survival.”—Jolynn Tumolo
