AUTHOR=Kiss Zoltan , Bogos Krisztina , Tamási Lilla , Ostoros Gyula , Müller Veronika , Urbán László , Bittner Nóra , Sárosi Veronika , Vastag Aladár , Polányi Zoltán , Nagy-Erdei Zsófia , Knollmajer Kata , Várnai Máté , Nagy Balázs , Horváth Krisztián , Rokszin György , Abonyi-Tóth Zsolt , Barcza Zsófia , Moldvay Judit , Gálffy Gabriella , Vokó Zoltán 

TITLE=Increase in the Length of Lung Cancer Patient Pathway Before First-Line Therapy: A 6-Year Nationwide Analysis From Hungary

JOURNAL=Pathology and Oncology Research

VOLUME=Volume 27 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.por-journal.com/journals/pathology-and-oncology-research/articles/10.3389/pore.2021.1610041

DOI=10.3389/pore.2021.1610041

ISSN=1532-2807

ABSTRACT=Objective This study aimed to examine the characteristics of the lung cancer (LC) patient pathway in Hungary during a 6-year period.
Methods This nationwide, retrospective study included patients newly diagnosed with LC (ICD-10 C34) between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2016, using data from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) of Hungary. The following patient pathway intervals were examined: system, diagnostic and treatment interval by age, gender, tumor type, study year and first-line LC therapy.
Results During the 6-year study period, 17,386 patients had at least one type of imaging (X-ray or CT/MRI) prior to diagnosis, and 12,063 had records of both X-ray and CT/MRI. The median system interval was 64.5 days, and it was 5 days longer among women, than in men (68.0 vs. 63.0 days). The median system interval was significantly longer in patients with adenocarcinoma compared to those with squamous cell carcinoma or small cell lung cancer (70.4 vs. 64.0 vs.48.0 days, respectively). Patients who received surgery as first-line treatment had significantly longer median system intervals compared to those receiving chemotherapy (81.4 days vs. 62.0 days). The median system interval significantly increased from 62.0 days to 66.0 days during the 6-year study period.
Conclusions The LC patient pathway significantly increased in Hungary over the 6-year study period. There were no significant differences in the length of the whole LC patient pathway according to age, however, female sex, surgery as first-line treatment, and adenocarcinoma were associated with longer system intervals.