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. 2021 Mar 2;21:215. doi: 10.1186/s12885-021-07923-4

Table 2.

Median duration of multimodality cancer treatments in weeks

n (%) Diagnosis to first treatment (IQR) Chemotherapy (IQR) Radiation (IQR) Time between treatments (1) (IQR)b Time between treatments (2) (IQR)b Overall cancer treatment (IQR)
BREAST, n = 12,415
Surgery Only 4463 (35.9) 5.7 (3.9–8.1)
Surgery + Radiotherapy
 Neoadjuvant XRT 26 (0.2) 29.1 (25.9–32.5) 5.4 (4.5–5.7) 6.9 (5.1–9.0) 11.9 (10.4–14.3)
 Adjuvant XRT 2436 (19.6) 5.0 (3.7–7.1) 3.6 (3.1–4.3) 12.1 (9.6–18.1) 16.0 (13.3–22.4)
Surgery + Chemotherapy
 Neoadjuvant Chemo 495 (4.0) 5.0 (3.9–7.9) 15.0 (12.1–20.9) 6.1 (4.4–12.9) 23.9 (19.4–28.0)
 Adjuvant Chemo 2714 (21.9) 5. 0 (3.6–6.6) 14.3 (9.0–20.6) 8.0 (6.3–10.3) 22.4 (18.1–28.1)
Surgery + Chemotherapy + Radiotherapy
 Surgery > > Adj Chemo > > Adj XRT 1895 (15.3) 4.9 (3.4–6.3) 14.0 (9.0–16.1) 4.0 (3.1–5.4) 8.3 (6.6–10.9) 5.0 (4.0–8.3) 33.9 (29.3–38.6)
 Chemo > > Surgery > > Adj XRT 310 (2.5) 5.0 (3.4–8.0) 14.5 (9.0–19.8) 5.3 (3.4–5.7) 6.1 (4.4–10.3) 7.8 (6.1–10.2) 35.7 (31.7–40.9)
 Chemo > > XRT > > Surgery 76 (0.6) 5.6 (3.6–13.8) 15.0 (9.0–21.7) 5.4 (4.0–5.9) 4.6 (3.6–7.7) 6.9 (5.3–9.0) 35.3 (27.9–40.0)
Total Treatment Timea 7952 (64.1) 24.6 (17.0–32.3)
COLORECTAL, n = 4988
Surgery Only 2895 (58.0) 3.0 (0.0–6.3)
Surgery + Radiotherapy
 Neoadjuvant XRT 116 (2.3) 7.9 (6.0–9.9) 0.6 (0.6–0.9) 1.2 (0.9–2.0) 2.0 (1.4–2.6)
 Adjuvant XRT 23 (0.5) 3.9 (0.0–7.4) 5.0 (3.9–5.4) 9.0 (6.9–11.7) 14.4 (10.9–17.1)
Surgery + Chemotherapy
 Neoadjuvant Chemo 68 (1.4) 6.1 (4.3–8.0) 5.1 (4.0–5.9) 8.9 (7.3–10.7) 13.9 (12.3–15.1)
 Adjuvant Chemo 1501 (30.1) 4.0 (0.4–8.1) 20.9 (9.1–22.6) 8.3 (6.7–11.4) 28.7 (22.1–32.1)
Surgery + Chemotherapy + Radiotherapy
 Surgery > > ChemoXRT 84 (1.7) 3.5 (0.1–7.3) 14.0 (5.9–18.5) 8.9 (6.9–13.4) 29.6 (14.9–34.3)
 ChemoXRT > > Surgery 170 (3.4) 7.5 (6.1–9.5) 6.0 (5.0–14.0) 7.4 (6.1–8.7) 14.0 (12.0–15.9)
 XRT > > Surgery > > Adj Chemo 67 (1.3) 8.00 (6.3–10.0) 21.0 (5.4–23.0) 0.9 (0.6–0.9) 1.1 (0.7–1.7) 9.7 (7.1–11.9) 31.0 (24.3–35.3)
 ChemoXRT > > Surgery > > Chemo 64 (1.3) 7.3 (5.9–9.9) 34.6 (29.9–37.4) 34.6 (29.9–37.4)
Total Treatment Timea 2093 (42.0) 26.7 (14.3–31.4)
LUNG, n = 2044
Surgery Only 1067 (52.2) 0.0 (0.0–6.7)
Radiotherapy Only 190 (9.3) 11.1 (6.8–17.4) 3.2 (1.4–5.9) 3.2 (1.4–5.9)
Sequential Chemo > > Radiotherapy 92 (4.5) 8.9 (4.5–13.7) 9.3 (6.3–10.3) 5.4 (3.0–6.1) 6.3 (1.0–9.3) 19.1 (10.9–25.0)
Combined Chemoradiotherapy 421 (20.6) 6.7 (4.2–9.1) 6.9 (6.0–10.3) 6.9 (6.0–10.3)
Surgery + Radiotherapy
 Neoadjuvant XRT 4 (0.2) 7.4 (5.8–11.7) 6.0 (5.3–7.0) 10.0 (4.8–21.3) 16.6 (10.0–27.6)
 Adjuvant XRT 6 (0.3) 8.1 (0.0–12.8) 1.9 (1.3–4.0) 13.3 (11.6–16.4) 15.8 (12.8–21.3)
Surgery + Chemotherapy
 Adjuvant Chemo 214 (10.5) 5.9 (0.0–9.9) 10.0 (6.4–11.0) 8.6 (7.3–10.0) 18.4 (15.1–20.8)
Surgery + Chemotherapy + Radiotherapy
 ChemoXRT > > Surgery 29 (1.4) 7.6 (5.9–10.1) 6.1 (5.2–9.3) 7.4 (5.7–13.7) 18.0 (11.1–29.3)
 Surgery > > ChemoXRT 21 (1.0) 4.3 (0.0–8.4) 9.9 (5.8–11.6) 8.0 (6.4–11.4) 26.6 (18.7–35.6)
Total Treatment Timea 977 (47.8) 9.1 (6.0–16.3)
PROSTATE, n = 2828
Surgery Only 1134 (40.1) 13.0 (9.4–18.8)
Definitive Radiotherapy Only 654 (23.1) 33.1 (24.0–43.1) 5.9 (4.9–7.6) 5.9 (4.9–7.6)
Brachytherapy 1014 (35.9) 25.3 (18.9–34.9)
Surgery + Radiotherapy
 Adjuvant XRT (within 3 months) 26 (0.9) 9.2 (6.5–15.8) 6.7 (6.5–7.0) 10.0 (9.3–11.5) 17.1 (16.1–18.1)
Total Treatment Timea 680 (24.0) 6.0 (4.9–7.6)

Abbreviations: Adj adjuvant; XRT radiotherapy; IQR interquartile range

aTotal treatment time – median duration calculated from all multimodality treatment cases (i.e. excludes cases of surgery/brachytherapy alone)

bTime between treatments – median duration calculated from the date of the last treatment of the first modality to the date of the first treatment of the next modality