Waiting times for access, diagnosis and treatment in a cancer centre.

We analysed the waiting times for patients in a Dublin hospital from 2001 to 2006, and evaluated trends in each of 4 cancer diagnoses; breast, lung, colorectal and upper gastrointestinal (gastric and oesophageal). Measured times were; time from referral to first seen, time from first seen to diagnosis and time from diagnosis to treatment. Patient numbers increased 39% from 529 in 2001 to 737 in 2006. As a result waiting times have increased over the 6 years. While median time from referral to first seen for breast cancer was 7 days, it rose from 2 to 5 days for lung cancer, 1 to 2 days for colorectal cancer, and 1 to 6 days for upper GI cancers. The time from diagnosis to treatment rose from 8 to 15 days (breast), 10 days to 25 (lung), 6 to 14 days (colorectal) and 7 to 13 days (Upper GI). Waiting times however, remain within international standards.