The wait in Quebec for breast cancer surgery has never been so long

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The number of breast cancer patients in Quebec waiting longer than the medically acceptable delay for surgery is the highest it has ever been, and the increase is the sharpest for any type of cancer, according to recently released figures from the Health Ministry.

As of September 21 – the latest date available for review – 145 people were waiting at least 57 days for breast cancer surgery, up from 48 on June 1. The spike is the highest since January 4, 2020, when the provincial government began tracking such statistics.

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A total of 923 people were on the waiting list for the life-saving operation as of September 21, compared to 472 at the beginning of January 2020.

“We are seeing the same dramatic increase. It has never been higher,” Jennifer Beeman, research and advocacy advisor for Breast Cancer Action Quebec, told The Gazette.

“We know what it’s like for women to wait. We’re getting phone calls. They ask, ‘What do we do?’ Absolute. But most importantly, what the hell is going on? We would like to hear from the government.”

The Gazette asked the Ministry of Health for an explanation on Monday. Although a ministry official confirmed receipt of a reporter’s email, they were not available for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The numbers have been higher for months, raising questions about the government’s handling of surgical wait times for a form of cancer diagnosed in 8,154 people in Quebec in 2021, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

The latest surge began on June 1, usually when nurses go on vacation, raising the possibility that some hospitals may have found it difficult to schedule operating room or recovery time due to staffing shortages. At the same time, Quebec is struggling to clear the backlog of surgeries left by the COVID-19 pandemic, when hospitals deliberately scaled back the number of surgeries to prevent outbreaks — a controversial policy known in French as délestage.

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Nevertheless, a Gazette analysis of surgical wait times over the past 57 days showed a decrease for other types of cancer. For example, the number of Quebecers waiting at least two months for colorectal surgery fell from 31 on June 29 to 27 on September 21. Wait times in the same category for lung and thyroid cancer surgeries also decreased.

In general, wait times for all types of surgery – not just for cancer and not just for wait times beyond acceptable delays – have risen steadily over the past four years. Currently, more than 162,000 Quebecers are on waiting lists for elective (or non-urgent) surgeries, including nearly 11,000 who have been waiting for their operations for at least a year (although the latter figure is down from more than 22,000 two years ago). ago, which suggests some progress).

In addition, as of September 21, 763 cardiac patients were waiting longer than the medically accepted delay for surgery – nearly the highest number ever, further underscoring the strain on Quebec’s $60 billion-a-year health care system. the health risks for the patients involved.

As Quebec and other jurisdictions celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the province can point to progress in reducing the death rate from the disease. In 1984, the rate of breast cancer deaths was 26.37 per 100,000 residents in the county; two decades later it fell to 14.07 per 100,000 inhabitants, reflecting, among other things, an improvement in treatments. Meanwhile, the five-year survival rate has increased from 81.1 percent in 1992 to 89.1 percent in 2016.

However, the incidence of breast cancer has increased, from 73.13 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 1984 to 87.45 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021, the latest year available. And if wait times for breast cancer surgery continue to rise, it could impact mortality rates.

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