Index

Show indicators by:

  • Cancer Control Domain
  • Disease Site
  • Dashboard
  • Disease Site
    • Breast
      • Breast cancer screening
      • Screening in underserved populations
      • Breast cancer diagnosis wait time
      • Capture of stage
      • Stage distribution
      • Surgery
        • Breast cancer resections that are mastectomies
        • The use of breast-conserving surgery versus mastectomies for breast cancer resections
      • Radiation therapy
        • Post-operative radiation therapy for stage I or II breast cancer patients
      • Place of death
      • Adult clinical trial participation
      • Cancer research investment
      • Breast cancer screening outside recommended guidelines
      • Incidence and mortality rates
      • Five-year net survival by income quintile for several cancers in Canada
    • Colorectal
      • Colorectal cancer screening
      • Geographic variation in colorectal cancer risk
      • Screening in underserved populations
      • Colorectal cancer diagnosis wait time
      • Capture of stage
      • Stage distribution
      • Surgery
        • Removal and examination of 12 or more lymph nodes in colon resections
        • Resection rates for stage II or III rectal cancer, stage III colon cancer and stage II or IIIA non-small cell lung cancer patients
      • Radiation therapy
        • Pre-operative radiation therapy for patients with stage II or III rectal cancer
      • Post-operative chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer patients
      • Place of death
      • Adult clinical trial participation
      • Cancer research investment
      • Incidence and mortality rates
      • Five-year net survival by income quintile for several cancers in Canada
    • Lung
      • Capture of stage
      • Stage distribution
      • Geographic variation in lung cancer risk
      • Resection rates for stage II or IIIA Non-snmall cell lung cancer patients
      • Post-operative chemotherapy for stage II or IIIA non-small cell lung cancer patients
      • Place of death
      • Adult clinical trial participation
      • Cancer research investment
      • Incidence and mortality rates
      • Five-year net survival by income quintile for several cancers in Canada
    • Prostate
      • PSA testing
      • Prostate risk profile
      • Capture of stage
      • Stage distribution
      • Prostate wait times for surgery
      • Prostate wait times for radiation therapy
      • Radical prostatectomy: open versus laparoscopic surgery
      • Prostate patterns of care: radiation and surgical treatment
      • Prostate access to palliative radiation
      • Prostate clinical trials participation
      • Adult clinical trial participation
      • Prostate cancer research investment
      • Cancer research investment
      • Incidence & Mortality Rates
      • Five-year net survival by income quintile for several cancers in Canada
    • Cervical
      • Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination
      • Cervical cancer screening
      • Screening in underserved populations
    • Pancreas
      • Incidence and mortality rates
    • Stage Distribution
  • Province & Territory
  • 1. Prevention
  • 2. Screening
  • 3. Diagnosis
  • 4. Treatment
  • 5. Person-Centred Perspective
  • 6. Research
  • 7. Appropriateness
  • 8. Long-term outcomes
  • Smoking prevalence
  • Smoking behaviours in current cancer patients
  • Smoking cessation
  • Second-hand smoke exposure
  • Geographic variation in lung cancer risk
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Adult overweight and obesity
  • Active transportation
  • Physical inactivity
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination
  • Fruit and vegetable consumption
  • Geographic variation in colorectal cancer risk
  • Cervical cancer screening
  • Breast cancer screening
  • Colorectal cancer screening
  • PSA testing
  • Screening in underserved populations
  • Breast cancer diagnosis wait times
  • Colorectal cancer diagnosis wait times
  • Capture of stage
  • Stage distribution
  • Prostate risk profile
  • Surgery
  • Radiation therapy
  • Systemic therapy
  • Removal and examination of 12 or more lymph nodes in colon resections
  • Resection rates for stage II or III rectal cancer, stage III colon cancer and stage II or IIIA non-small cell lung cancer patients
  • The use of breast-conserving surgery versus mastectomies for breast cancer resections
  • Breast cancer resections that are mastectomies
  • High-risk, resource-intensive surgeries for esophageal, pancreatic, liver, lung and ovarian cancers in Canada
  • Prostate wait times for surgery
  • Radical prostatectomy: open versus laparoscopic surgery
  • Radiation therapy wait times
  • Radiation therapy utilization and capacity
  • Pre-operative radiation therapy for patients with stage II or III rectal cancer
  • Post-operative radiation therapy for patients with stage I or II breast cancer
  • Prostate wait times for radiation therapy
  • Prostate patterns of care: radiation and surgical treatment
  • Post-operative chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer patients
  • Post-operative chemotherapy for patients with stage II or IIIA non-small cell lung cancer
  • Screening for distress
  • Patient satisfaction
  • Place of death
  • Prostate access to palliative radiation
  • Adult clinical trial participation
  • Prostate clinical trials participation
  • Pediatric clinical trial participation
  • Cancer research investment
  • Prostate cancer research investment
  • Breast cancer screening outside of guidelines
  • Breast cancer mastectomies done as day surgery
  • Intensive care use in the last two weeks of life
  • Breast cancer
  • Lung cancer
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Prostate cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Five-year net survival by income quintile for several cancers in Canada
System Performance Logo
System Performance
  • About
  • Reports
  • Français
  • Home
  • Disease sites
  • Colorectal
  • Colorectal cancer diagnosis wait time

Colorectal cancer diagnosis wait time

  • Charts and Tables

    Charts and Tables

    Figure 3.3

    Median and 90th percentile wait times from abnormal fecal test result to follow-up colonoscopy, by jurisdiction – 2015 screening year

    • Download & Export

      Figure

      •  

      Data Table

      • CSV
      • Excel
      • Json
      • XML

    “—” Data not available.

    AB: High volumes of positive fecal immunochemical tests may influence wait times for follow-up colonoscopy.

    In select cases, individuals may choose to postpone follow-up colonoscopy. Depending on the jurisdiction, such cases may or may not be included. See Technical Appendix for more details.

    Data source: Provincial colorectal cancer screening programs.

    Data Table

    JurisdictionMedian wait time (days)90th percentile wait time (days)Percentage within target
    BC6513946.2
    AB6312946.3
    SK5611754.8
    MB7311932.2
    ON5111360.2
    QC———
    NB458176.4
    NS6411743.6
    PE8114328.8
    NL478867.4
    YT———
    NT———
    NU———

    + Expand Table

    “—” Data not available.

    AB: High volumes of positive fecal immunochemical tests may influence wait times for follow-up colonoscopy.

    In select cases, individuals may choose to postpone follow-up colonoscopy. Depending on the jurisdiction, such cases may or may not be included. See Technical Appendix for more details.

    Data source: Provincial colorectal cancer screening programs.

    Figure 3.15

     Median and 90th percentile wait times (days) from follow-up colonoscopy to definitive diagnosis in adults aged 50–69, by jurisdiction – 2015 screening year

    • Download & Export

      Figure

      •  

      Data Table

      • CSV
      • Excel
      • Json
      • XML

    “—” Data not available.

    In select cases, individuals may choose to postpone follow-up colonoscopy. Depending on jurisdiction, such cases may or may not be included. See Technical Appendix for more details.

    Data source: Provincial colorectal cancer screening programs.

    Data Table

    JurisdictionMedian wait time (days)90th percentile wait time (days)
    BC59
    AB——
    SK1136
    MB1220
    ON——
    QC——
    NB48
    NS819
    PE36
    NL621
    YT——
    NT——
    NU——

    + Expand Table

    “—” Data not available.

    In select cases, individuals may choose to postpone follow-up colonoscopy. Depending on jurisdiction, such cases may or may not be included. See Technical Appendix for more details.

    Data source: Provincial colorectal cancer screening programs.

  • Data specifications

    Data specifications

    Definition:

    1. Wait time between abnormal fecal tests to follow-up colonoscopy through organized colorectal cancer screening
      • The median and 90th percentile wait time (days) between an abnormal fecal test result and a follow-up colonoscopy required to resolve the diagnosis
      • Percentage of fecal tests with follow-up colonoscopy within the target wait times (60 days) through organized colorectal cancer screening
    2. Wait time between follow-up colonoscopy to definitive diagnosis
      • The median and 90th percentile wait time (days) between a follow-up colonoscopy and definitive pathological diagnosis

    Rationale for measurement: Monitoring and reporting on colorectal cancer diagnosis wait times across Canada can help to reveal where efforts need to be targeted to improve how various parts of the system involved in screening and diagnosing colorectal cancer work together to ensure prompt resolution of abnormal results.

    Measurement timeframe: Screening year 2015

    Population:

    1. Wait time between abnormal fecal tests to follow-up colonoscopy
      • Individuals aged 50-74 with an abnormal fecal test in the measure timeframe who went on to receive a colonoscopy within 180 days of the fecal test result
    1. Wait time between follow-up colonoscopy to definitive diagnosis
      • Individuals aged 50-74 who had a follow-up colonoscopy that is within the measurement timeframe and that is within 180 days of the abnormal fecal test result

    Measure:

    1. Wait time between abnormal fecal tests to follow-up colonoscopy through organized colorectal cancer screening
      • Median and 90th percentile time interval (days) between an abnormal fecal test and a follow-up colonoscopy
      • Percentage of fecal tests with follow-up colonoscopy within the target wait times
        Denominator: Individuals aged 50-74 with an abnormal fecal test in the measure timeframe who went on to receive a colonoscopy within 180 days of the fecal test result.
        Numerator: Number of individuals who received follow-up colonoscopy within 60 days of abnormal fecal tests.
    1. Wait time between follow-up colonoscopy to definitive diagnosis
      • Median and 90th percentile time interval (days) from a follow-up colonoscopy to definitive pathological diagnosis.

    Exclusion criteria:

    1. Wait time between abnormal fecal tests to follow-up colonoscopy through organized colorectal cancer screening
      • Screens outside of the programmatic colorectal screening were excluded
      • Colonoscopies received longer than 180 days after abnormal fecal tests were excluded
    1. Wait time between follow-up colonoscopy to definitive diagnosis
      • Screens outside of the programmatic colorectal screening were excluded
      • Colonoscopies received longer than 180 days after abnormal fecal tests were excluded
      • Screens if no specimen is sent to pathology diagnosis were excluded

    Data availability:

    1. Wait time between an abnormal fecal test result and a follow-up colonoscopy: AB, BC, ON, NB, SK, MB, NS, PE, NL
    2. Wait time (days) between a follow-up colonoscopy and definitive pathological diagnosis: BC, NB, SK, MB, NS, PE, NL

    Stratification: By province

    Data source: Provincial cancer agencies and programs

    Data retrieval date: July – September 2017

    Variables details: Not applicable

    Notes from jurisdictions:

    • AB: Yes, Alberta follows guidelines on the calculation of wait times for a follow-up colonoscopy. We exclude the individuals from the analysis, who had colonoscopy done outside 180 days time-frame. In the database, we are unable to identify patients that experienced delayed follow-up testing by choice.
    • NB: NB follows the guidelines on the calculation of wait times for a follow-up colonoscopy or colorectal cancer diagnosis. It does not exclude individuals from the analysis, who have chosen to delay their colonoscopy appointments. During this period, Colon Cancer Screening was only accessible to 11% of the province (half the population in Health Zone 2).
    • NL: Outliers that do not fall within the 180 days due to patient initiated scheduling delays are excluded. The NL colon screening program follows the recommendations of the National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network that works to have a follow up colonoscopy 60 days following a positive FIT result.
    • NS: We have not excluded any individuals from this analysis. Only follow-up colonoscopies performed within the screening program were included for analysis. Approximately 10% of FIT+ patients decline the services offered by the program.
    • ON: Individuals who have chosen to delay their colonoscopy appointments were included in the calculation. Our calculation of wait times restricts to Ontario screen-eligible individuals, 50–74 years old, with an abnormal program FOBT result in 2015, who underwent colonoscopy within 180 days of the abnormal FOBT result. We exclude from our calculation the following individuals: a) those with a missing or invalid HIN, date of birth, sex or postal code, b) those with an invasive colorectal cancer before the abnormal FOBT date, and c) those with a total colectomy before the abnormal FOBT date.

    Methodology notes:

    1. Data were analyzed and provided by provincial breast cancer screening programs.
    2. Considerations about wait time between abnormal fecal tests to follow-up colonoscopy through organized colorectal cancer screening
      • The date of the abnormal fecal test is the date that the result is reported by the laboratory for each individual.
      • The fecal test must be performed within the organized screening program, but the follow-up colonoscopy can be performed within or outside of the screening program.
      • Each individual is counted once regardless of the number of fecal tests performed. If an individual had multiple abnormal fecal tests in a given year(s), the first abnormal test date is selected.
      • If multiple follow-up colonoscopies are performed after the abnormal fecal test, count the first colonoscopy after the abnormal fecal test.
      • All colonoscopies are included regardless of whether they are complete (for whatever reason)
    3. Consideration about wait time between follow-up colonoscopy to definitive diagnosis
      • The measurement timeframe refers to the date of the colonoscopy.
      • The date of definitive pathological diagnosis refers to the date of the initial pathological report after a colonoscopy that confirms the presence (or absence) of colorectal cancer or adenoma.
      • Include both complete and incomplete colonoscopies – as long as there is definitive diagnosis via a pathology report
      • The fecal test must be performed within the organized screening program, but the follow-up colonoscopy can be performed within or outside of the screening program.
      • Each individual is counted once regardless of the number of fecal tests performed. If an individual had multiple abnormal fecal tests in a given year(s), the first abnormal test date is selected.
      • If multiple follow-up colonoscopies are performed after the abnormal fecal test, count the first complete colonoscopy after the abnormal fecal test.

    Changes to definition compared to previous years: Not applicable

  • Related indicators

    Related Indicators

    Colorectal cancer screening

    Participation rate in colorectal cancer screening programs in a 30-month period (%), by jurisdiction – 2013-14 screening years combined
    View this indicator
    Stage distribution

    Distribution of cases by stage at diagnosis for prostate cancer – 2013 diagnosis year
    View this indicator
    Colorectal cancer

    Incidence and mortality rates† for colorectal cancer, by sex, Canada — from 1992 to 2014
    View this indicator
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Media centre
  • Share your feedback
  • About our new site

  • Français Language toggle.

Other related sites:

  • Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health
  • Canadian Cancer Research Alliance
  • Canadian Cancer Trials
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • linkedin
    CPAC Logo

    Questions about cancer?

    For information about cancer treatment and support for patients, please contact the Canadian Cancer Society at 1-888-939-3333 or by completing this online form.

  • AODA compliance
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of use
  • FAQ
  • Site map
  • About this site
© Canadian Partnership Against Cancer Corporation