OBJECTIVES: Cancer is a leading cause of death, with World Health Organization (WHO) predicting over 35 million new cases by 2050. However, despite rapid advancements in treatments, delays in accessing them in many health technology assessment (HTA) nations result in hampered outcomes, such as potential life years lost, quality-adjusted life years (QALY) lost, and increased economic burden. This study summarizes literature reporting health and economic impact of delayed access to oncological treatments.

METHODS: A targeted review was conducted in PubMed to gather literature from January 2014 to January 2024, which was complemented by a desk search from January 2024 to May 2024 and additional grey literature search.

RESULTS: A total of 247 studies were screened. Six studies that met the inclusion criteria, reporting impact of delay in costs or health outcomes due to access to a new oncology treatment, were included. These were for multi-country(n=3), Canada(n=2), and the USA(n=1). There were four descriptive or mixed-methods studies, and two were model-based analyses. The indications considered were mostly breast cancer(n=4), NSCLC(n=3), and melanoma(n=3). The definition of delay and outcomes were reported differently across studies, with life years and QALY loss as the commonly used measures. It was found that there are regional differences in access. In Europe, average time to market was reported as 403 days, and marketing approval was about 242 days later than the US. In Canada, delays in NSCLC therapies may have affected 6400 patients, amounting to a loss of 1740 person-years of life and 1122 QALYs (valued at CA$112 million).

CONCLUSIONS: Substantial potential life-years and QALYs are lost due to delays in the drug regulatory and funding process, and very few studies exist that report such outcomes. Hence, modeling these outcomes to highlight burden and improving procedures to minimize delays are crucial to benefit both patients and healthcare systems.