CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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A number of studies have examined time intervals between care steps in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this study was to document the elapsed time from first clinical or mammographic detection of breast abnormality to initiation of first adjuvant therapy in women with invasive breast cancer in Nova Scotia and to examine the effect of age, disease stage and place of residence on these intervals. ⋯ Women aged 70 or more and those with stage I breast cancer experienced longer elapsed times from disease detection to initiation of first adjuvant therapy than did younger women and those with more advanced disease. These findings may have implications for the design of interventions to minimize intervals between steps in breast cancer care and should be validated within the Canadian context. Future investigation exploring the full spectrum of breast cancer care may lead to a more complete understanding of processes and gaps in the current system.