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, the delay 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.