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In cancer care, we often talk about a window of opportunity. This is the time between diagnosis and removing or treating a tumor before the cancer spreads to other organs.
This window is crucial. When it comes to digestive cancers, helping a patient quickly and efficiently access treatment can mean offering a better opportunity for positive outcomes.
The typical time to treatment in the U.S. is almost 30 days. At MedStar Health, we’ve set an ambitious goal to cut wait time by 30%, moving from the diagnosis to the start of treatment in less than 21 days (frequently less than 14 days).
Timing is a matter of survival.
Digestive cancers, including liver, pancreatic gastric (stomach), small bowel and colorectal, types, are among the most common and aggressive diagnoses in the U.S. Research shows that every month of delay in cancer treatment can raise the risk of death by about 10%.
Delays occur for many different reasons, including:
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Administrative hurdles, referral delays, and appointment scheduling
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Insurance approvals
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Institutional and systemic obstacles
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Socioeconomic barriers including insurance, transportation, and financial barriers
This ticking clock can be especially pressing in pancreatic cancer care. This cancer can be so aggressive that a four-week delay can mean the difference between a treatable tumor and metastatic disease (when cancer spreads to other parts of the body). Some studies have shown that mortality risk for aggressive cancers can rise by 1.2% to 3.2% for each week of delay.
Initiating timely therapy for stomach cancer can be very challenging due to the multi-step staging process, multidisciplinary coordination and the necessity of tailored treatments. Our teams work quickly to learn the stage the cancer and expedite the optimal respective treatment. I see patients on the day of their diagnosis or the next day, whenever possible, to begin the process of imaging and treatment planning.
Achieving efficient time to treatment.
It can take a month or more for the typical patient in the U.S. to begin cancer treatment after diagnosis. This waiting period can cause what’s known as “time toxicity,” in which the burden of scheduling and the dread of waiting can cause real emotional distress for patients and caregivers.
To speed up this timeline, our multidisciplinary teams schedule important tests to occur one after the other to keep the ball moving. We aim to complete the following steps to prepare for treatment:
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Advanced staging: We perform PET-CT scans immediately. A PET scan can change our treatment plan in up to 20% of cases by finding hidden cancer spread.
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Internal scoping: We use minimally invasive procedures such as endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and diagnostic laparoscopy to assess the stage of cancer, which is the standard of care for stomach cancer.
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Parallel processing: Many scans and tests are scheduled on the same day, instead of one at a time.
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Logistical advocacy: Our team expeditiously handles the hours of administrative work required for insurance authorizations so patients and caregivers can focus on healing.
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Port-a-cath placement: Majority of the patients will need chemotherapy, so in this patient population we place a small device under the skin to provide convenient access to administer these medicines as soon as possible in patients who need it.
Related: Read “Appendicitis, Appendix Cancer, and PSM: Symptoms and Specialized Treatment Options.”
High-volume expertise and robotic-assisted surgery.
MedStar Health specialists treat patients with many types of digestive cancers, from the straightforward to the complex. Our protocols are built for safety and efficiency. Because we have such a high volume of patients, we’ve developed the expertise to help you move through the system safely and quickly.
Technology also plays a big role in receiving post-surgical treatment, such as chemotherapy, faster. In my practice, more than 85% of major surgeries use robotic-assisted technology. The benefits of this approach include:
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Smaller incisions: Minimizing cuts in the skin leads to significantly less blood loss and less pain.
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Faster chemotherapy access: In gastric cancer and liver surgery, robotic-assisted surgery increases the chances that a patient can heal quickly with lower risk of complications speeding their return to chemotherapy after surgery.
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Lower risks: Robotic-assisted surgical approaches result in a lower risk of complications and improved outcomes.
Momentum is medicine.
In cancer care, speed and quality are not opposites. In fact, speed and efficiency are vital parts of quality.
We treat every patient’s case with the urgency we would want for our own family members. By reducing the time to treatment, we’re not just improving medical outcomes. We’re helping patients and their families get back their peace of mind.
