Quebec cancer surgery waitlist jumps 41% in past year; average wait time is 57 days

In 2020, Quebec’s waitlist for cancer surgeries had one in 10 people waiting.

Two years later that number has nearly doubled, with one in five Quebecers waiting.

And for many, it’s potentially life-saving surgery.

“Four thousand four hundred and forty-four patients are on the waitlist for cancer surgeries. And so that’s a 41 per cent increase from last year, which is preoccupying,” said Eva Villalba, the executive director of Quebec Cancer Coalition.

“For people affected by cancer right now, it’s extremely, extremely stressful.”

According to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, about 21 per cent of the more than 4,000 individuals are waiting the medically acceptable amount of time, which is 57 days.

Villalba says that average wait was significantly lower – at 28 days – prior to the start of the pandemic. She says that showcases the lack of medical importance cancer patients have in Quebec.

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“That’s what’s preoccupying is that we shouldn’t be changing the objectives based on bureaucratic or political reasons. We need to be making decisions based on what’s clinically necessary for patients,” she said.

“For most cancers, if we intervene early, there’s very good chances that people can survive and do well and have a good quality of life. The problem is when they are detected too late, and that’s exactly why we really want to sound the alarm that there is something that we could do. We just need the government’s collaboration.”

Quebec cancer patients wait times. (Credit: Quebec Health Ministry/handout)

Many patients waiting longer than 57 days

Villalba says several people are waiting longer than the 57-day average.

“Seventy-two per cent of people affected by cancer are concerned about having access to their care,” said Villalba. “Their occurrence anxiety is going up. Their current mental health issues are being exacerbated.

And the trend is not going in the right direction, adds Villalba.

“The number of cancer cases are going to increase by up to 25 per cent in the next 10 years. And so why aren’t we doing something about it?”

In Montreal, the CHUM has close to 600 individuals waiting, while the Jewish General Hospital has more than 200 patients waitlisted.

In both cases, 25 per cent of patients are waiting 57 or more days.

And the MUHC health network collectively accounts for just under 400 individuals waiting on cancer surgeries – with 18 per cent waiting 57 or more days.

Graphic of surgery wait times in various Montreal health networks. (Credit: Quebec Health Ministry/handout)

“The pandemic definitely added or just strained our health-care system significantly to the point where we’re trying to play catch up,” said Lawrence Lee, a colon and rectal surgeon at the MUHC. “So we’re unable to deal with the volume that we have right now, which is both everything that was before and all the new cases that are being diagnosed now.”

Lee says an increase in wait times can pose further complications down the road.

“Things like hepatobiliary cancers, certain colorectal cancers, certain breast cancers, for example, are those that time to surgery or time to treatment really is important,” said Lee. “So when we have a doubling of our times, that can have pretty significant negative consequences for patients, unfortunately.”

“We do know that people are getting diagnosed and screened much later, and that will have an impact on mortality as well,” added Villalba.” And that’s why we need to do something now, because this is avoidable.”

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Villalba wants Quebec’s Ministry of Health to create a plan to help cancer patients, allowing the province to become proactive rather than reactive

“Our system is supposed to do what it was meant to do, which is provide health, not just health services,” she said. “And unfortunately, right now – and it’s not the fault of health-care providers – they’re also overwhelmed. They’re understaffed.

It’s extremely a challenging time for everyone. But we’re driving the plane and building it as we go. We don’t know exactly where we’re going.”