Timeframe for initiating oral cancer treatment in Brazil since approval of new legislation in 2012: Time trend, 2013-2019

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate whether the maximum delay (60 days) for initiating oral cancer treatment following diagnosis, as provided in Federal Law n. 12,732/2012, was achieved in Brazil from 2013 to 2019 and to describe the trend in the number of cases that initiated treatment within this timeframe. A time series was performed with treatment data (N = 37,417) from the Oncology Dashboard of the Brazilian Health Informatics Department (DATASUS) database, according to the patient’s region of residence. Analysis of trend used Prais-Winsten regression. In 2018 and 2019, we observed higher percentages of treatments within 60 days, and especially within 30 days. In 2019, 61.5% of treatments began within 60 days, with the highest proportions in the South (71.3%), Southeast (60.1%), and Central-west (59.1%) regions of Brazil. The time trend for the category from 0-60 days was upward in the North of Brazil, with 15.7% annual percent change (APC), and was stationary in the other four major geographic regions of Brazil. The time trend for 0-30 days was only upward in the North and Northeast, with APCs of 29.75% and 20.56%, respectively. In conclusion, since 2018 there were more cases that initiated oral cancer treatment within the stipulated timeframe, as provided in Law n. 12,732/2012 (up to 60 days), with regional differences and a stationary trend in most regions and in Brazil as a whole. Partial achievement of the target, the predominance of a stationary trend, and regional inequalities indicate the need to continue monitoring time-to-treatment for oral cancer in Brazil and to intensify efforts to guarantee timely healthcare.