OBJECTIVES: The timing of treatment start is crucial, its delay is an economic burden to health care system, worsening by the consequences due to Covid-19 delay. We analyze the preliminary RWD & RWE of the Breast Cancer Navigation Program experience. The objective is to show how the program can allow the proper application of the best timing to start treatment, being a topic of interest for the planning and evaluation of actions to control this cancer in Brazil.

METHODS: The navigator accompanied women, startup in order to comply with government orders, from the first center with a diagnosis of breast cancer to start treatment at a specialized center as early as possible. Information on the clinical characteristics of the patients, clinical dates and barriers encountered were collected at Rio de Janeiro's (RJ) Health Department. Univariate logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with starting treatment.

RESULTS: From January to July 2020, 301 breast biopsies were performed, 126 (42%) of breast cancer. The mean age 54 years (26–88). 75% the lesions were diagnosed in advanced stages (IIb to IV). The mean time to start treatment was 39 days (11–108). The main barriers found were: fear (93%), difficulty in communicating with the medical team (81%), uncoordinated health care (37%). Being treated outside RJ’ cities was factor associated with high delay treatment within 60 days (79.5% vs. 20.5%, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: The integration of the patient browser into work processes contributed to compliance with the earlier timing to start the treatment in 86% of cases. In the context of a complex and fragmented healthcare system for a population in a situation of socioeconomic vulnerability, the navigation program proves to be a tool to increase the rate of early treatment enforcement in Brazil.