Factors associated with delayed treatment initiation in an unselected cohort of patients with small-cell lung cancer

Background Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive, rapidly progressive malignancy. Thus, expedient diagnosis and treatment initiation is important. This study identifies and quantifies factors associated with delayed diagnosis and treatment initiation in patients with SCLC and compares time to treatment in SCLC with a cohort of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and Methods The study included all patients diagnosed with SCLC at a hospital in southern Norway in a ten-year period (2007–2016), and all NSCLC patients during the period 2013–2016. Total time to treatment (TTT), was defined as the number of days from date of referral due to suspicion of lung cancer to first day of treatment. Factors associated with prolonged TTT were estimated using multivariate median regression analysis. Results The median TTT and interquartile range (IQR) for the 183 patients with SCLC was 16 (10–23) days. Factors associated with delayed TTT included outpatient versus inpatient evaluation (+8.4 days), number of diagnostic procedures (+4.3 days per procedure), stage I-III versus stage IV (+3.6 days) and age (+2.1 days per 10 years). In 2013–16, TTT in SCLC was 3.5 days shorter than in the period before and less than half that of NSCLC in the same period, 15 (9–22) versus 33 (22–50) days (p = 0.001). Conclusion Shorter TTT is seen in higher stage, while longer TTT is a result of increasing complexity of the diagnostic process and treatment decisions of patients with curative intent treatment. Knowledge on delaying factors can shorten TTT and improve clinical practice

Factors associated with delayed treatment initiation in an unselected cohort of patients with small-cell lung cancer

Background Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive, rapidly progressive malignancy. Thus, expedient diagnosis and treatment initiation is important. This study identifies and quantifies factors associated with delayed diagnosis and treatment initiation in patients with SCLC and compares time to treatment in SCLC with a cohort of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and Methods The study included all patients diagnosed with SCLC at a hospital in southern Norway in a ten-year period (2007–2016), and all NSCLC patients during the period 2013–2016. Total time to treatment (TTT), was defined as the number of days from date of referral due to suspicion of lung cancer to first day of treatment. Factors associated with prolonged TTT were estimated using multivariate median regression analysis. Results The median TTT and interquartile range (IQR) for the 183 patients with SCLC was 16 (10–23) days. Factors associated with delayed TTT included outpatient versus inpatient evaluation (+8.4 days), number of diagnostic procedures (+4.3 days per procedure), stage I-III versus stage IV (+3.6 days) and age (+2.1 days per 10 years). In 2013–16, TTT in SCLC was 3.5 days shorter than in the period before and less than half that of NSCLC in the same period, 15 (9–22) versus 33 (22–50) days (p = 0.001). Conclusion Shorter TTT is seen in higher stage, while longer TTT is a result of increasing complexity of the diagnostic process and treatment decisions of patients with curative intent treatment. Knowledge on delaying factors can shorten TTT and improve clinical practice

Reduced delays in diagnostic pathways for non-small cell lung cancer after local and National initiatives

Objectives Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may experience progression and stage shift due to delays in a complex and time-consuming diagnostic work-up. We have analyzed the impact of both a local and national intervention on total time to treatment (TTT). Material and Methods All patients diagnosed with NSCLC at a Norwegian county hospital from 2007 to 2016 were reviewed. Logistic bottlenecks and delays were identified (2007–12) resulting in implementation of a local initiative with new diagnostic algorithm introduced by the beginning of 2013. In 2015, national diagnostic cancer pathways were implemented. TTT defined as time from received referral from the primary physician to start of treatment was compared in the three diagnostic time periods; baseline (2007–12), local (2013–14) and national (2015–16). Results A total of 780 patients were included. Among patients treated with curative intent the median TTT decreased by 21 days, from 64 to 43 days (p < 0.001) while the mean number of diagnostic procedures increased from 3.5 to 3.9. In median regression analysis, the local initiative was associated with a reduction of estimated 7.8 days (95% CI 3.2, 12.3) in TTT, while the national initiative correlated with a reduction of estimated 14.9 days (95% CI 10.2, 19.6) compared to time at baseline. Covariates associated with longer TTT were stage I, use of PET-CT, diagnostic procedure at external hospital, and number of diagnostic procedures. Conclusion Local and national initiatives significantly reduced TTT in NSCLC. The effect was most pronounced among patients with disease available for curative treatment

Evaluation of sex inequity in lung-cancer-specific survival

Background: Whether sex is an independent prognostic factor in lung cancer survival is the subject of ongoing debate. Both large national registries and single hospital studies have shown conflicting findings. In this study, we explore the impact of sex on lung-cancer-specific survival in an unselected population that is well-characterized with respect to stage and other covariates. Material and methods: All patients diagnosed with lung cancer at a single hospital serving a whole and defined region in Southern Norway during the 10 years 2007–2016 were included. Follow-up data were available for at least 56 months for all patients. Analyses were adjusted for stage, treatment, performance status, smoking, age, histology, epidermal growth factor receptor/anaplastic lymphoma kinase/immunotherapy treatment and period. Differences in lung-cancer-specific survival by sex were explored using restricted mean survival times (RMST). Results: Of the 1,261 patients diagnosed with lung cancer, 596 (47%) were females and 665 (53%) males, with mean ages of 68.5 and 69.5 years, respectively. The observed 5-year lung-cancer-specific survival rate was 27.4% (95% CI 23.7, 31.2) in females and 21.4% (95% CI 18.2, 24.8) in males. However, after adjustment for covariates, no significant differences by sex were observed. The 5-year RMST was 0.9 months shorter (95% CI −2.1, 0.31, p = 0.26) in males compared to females. Interpretation: In this cohort, sex was not associated with a difference in lung-cancer-specific survival after adjusting for clinical and biological factors. Imbalance in stage at diagnosis was the main contributor to the observed difference in lung-cancer-specific survival by sex