Changes in time-to-treatment initiation for breast, non-small cell lung, colon, or rectal cancers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health care and reduced cancer diagnoses in the United States, raising concerns about its impact on time-to-treatment initiation (TTI), a critical factor for survival. This study examined the changes in TTI for 1 213 481 individuals newly diagnosed with female breast, nonsmall cell lung, colon, or rectal cancer between 2019 and 2022, using the National Cancer Database. We compared TTI in 2020-2022 with 2019 by cancer site, diagnosis time of year, stage, and treatment modality. In 2020, TTI statistically significantly decreased for all cancers compared to 2019, especially in the second quarter (2.97-4.29 days). However, TTI increased across sites in 2021 (0.31-2.15 days) and in 2022 (1.43-5.07 days). Reduced diagnoses and efforts to prioritize cancer care during the pandemic may partly explain observed TTI decreases, whereas workforce constraints likely contributed to the later increases. Ongoing evaluation of TTI and associations with patient outcomes is warranted.