The waiting time paradox: population based retrospective study of treatment delay and survival of women with endometrial cancer in Scotland

Abstract

Delay in the delivery of treatment for gynaecological cancers has been previously investigated.1 2 In some cases, thedelay reflects the illness behaviour of women; in others, it was inherent in the system for delivering health care. Few studies have linked delay in treatment with survival, although a study from Israel found that survival from endometrial cancer was not affected by a delay in treatment of four months.3 We investigated links between delays in treatment and survival, using a recently completed audit of endometrial cancer treatment in Scotland. We collected data from the case notes of all women resident in Scotland who were diagnosed between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 1997 as having …