Time Between Diagnosis and Completion of Treatment for Locally Advanced Cervical Carcinoma

ABSTRACT Chemoradiotherapy combined with brachytherapy is the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer. Guidelines recommend initiating treatment within 8 weeks of diagnosis and completing it within 8 weeks of initiation. This study aimed to analyze the duration between diagnosis and the completion of treatment for women attending a gynecological oncology clinic. We retrospectively evaluated the waiting times and treatment durations for 57 women diagnosed with cervical cancer attended at a tertiary hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who received radiotherapy between January 2016 and December 2023. Out of 57 medical records, 23 were excluded due to incomplete data, leaving 34 records for analysis. Radiotherapy treatment initiation was delayed beyond 8 weeks in 73.5% of women, with 47% experiencing delays exceeding 16 weeks. Throughout the study period, no significant temporal trends were observed in the time to initiate treatment ( z = −0.99741, p = 0.31), the interval between radiotherapy and brachytherapy ( z = 0, p = 1), the treatment duration ( z = 0, p = 1), or the total treatment time ( z = −0.24935, p = 0.8). The waiting time to initiate treatment and the interval between radiotherapy and brachytherapy exceeded the recommended duration. The main delay was attributed to the waiting period for brachytherapy. Expanding service availability and integrating the scheduling of radiotherapy and brachytherapy could help reduce delays and improve treatment efficiency.