B.C. cancer wait times lead to deaths before treatment: Globe investigation

British Columbians diagnosed with cancer are waiting longer for treatment, and a new investigation finds that is leading to some serious, even deadly, consequences.

The Globe and Mail is reporting some patients are dying before they get their first medical consultation.

The paper outlines some serious issues within the BC Cancer Agency, including the loss of 18 oncologists since the start of 2020, some of whom tell the Globe and Mail they felt they couldn’t provide the appropriate level of care. Others suggested patients with terminal diagnoses are more often turning to medical assistance in dying because they can’t bear the pain and the anxiety.

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The investigation points to lengthy wait times, in some cases months, before treatment begins.

It finds only one-in-five patients referred to an oncologist get their first medical consultation within the recommended two weeks. In Ontario, by comparison, three-quarters are seen within two weeks of referral.

The Globe spoke with four past presidents of the BC Cancer Agency and dozens of medical staff who trace the problem back to the 2000’s when the province made changes in leadership and, it’s claimed, failed to plan for an aging population and anticipated surge in cases.

It adds BC Cancer doctors are self-reporting the highest levels of stress, burnout and disengagement among oncologists across the country.

BC Cancer head Kim Nguyen Chi tells the paper, “Like many areas within health care, BC Cancer is facing steep national and international competition in the recruitment of talented and skilled medical staff.”

Dr. Chi says it takes an average of eight to 12 months to recruit a new oncologist, but BC Cancer has successfully filled many new and highly specialized positions.

COVID-19 pandemic has strained B.C. cancer treatment system

David Nowoselski, advocacy manager for hospice palliative care at the Canadian Cancer Society, says COVID-19 has put “significant” strains on the healthcare system.

“The pandemic has had an undeniable impact on people with cancer across Canada. The pandemic’s worsened existing pressures on our healthcare system that we knew about before, from things like staffing burnout and shortages to difficulty accessing timely care, and it’s impacted all along the healthcare system, the cancer care journey, right from prevention and screening programs, to things like accessing palliative care and other services,” he told CityNews.

Nowoselski says B.C.’s situation is not unique and is being seen right across the country.

“We’re certainly hearing from people with cancer and their caregivers about the stress that’s putting on them. And we know the B.C. government is taking steps to address the these healthcare challenges. There’s more work to do, that all levels of government need to come to the table to address,” he said.

Access to timely health data is a challenge, Nowoselski says. However, the cancer society has been monitoring the impacts of reductions in cancer screenings, the uptake in screening programs, and delays in accessing said screening.

“We also know that even a four-week delay in accessing a cancer treatment can increase the chance of mortality by about 10 per cent,” he said, adding that folks who live in rural and remote communities, or people who are underserved by healthcare are the first ones to be hit by the lack of access to timely services.

Nowoselski says the society is particularly concerned about burnout among healthcare workers, and the human resourcing challenge that affects cancer services. However, notes that the provincial government announced changes in its transformation of primary care delivery.

“But we know that we need to act with more urgency … We want all levels of government to take [action] quickly because addressing these backlogs in cancer care, as well as addressing the human resource problem, these issues go hand in hand.

“And so we need those levels of government to work to listen to the frontline care providers when they’re asking for [more] in terms of the supports, and to take action more seriously, and more quickly to address these backlogs.”