Q: What is Cancer Surgery?
Cancer surgery is an operation to repair or remove part of the body in the treatment of cancer.
Q: Who goes on a wait list?
Anyone who needs a treatment that has a wait list is placed on the list, unless it is an emergency. Emergency patients are treated as quickly as possible.
Q: What is Prostate Cancer Surgery?
Prostate cancer surgery is an operation to repair or remove part of the group of cancers found in the prostate region.
Q: Where will I be referred to have this surgery?
Ask your doctor/specialist where you can have your cancer surgery done, as these procedures are performed in the following hospitals:
Eastern Health
General Hospital – Health Sciences Centre – St. John’s
Central Health
Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre – Grand Falls-Windsor
Western Health
Western Memorial Regional Hospital – Corner Brook
Q: How are wait times measured?
For this operation, the wait time is measured from when you and your surgeon decide to proceed with surgery for the confirmed cancer to when the procedure is completed. In Central Health it is the physician practice to schedule surgery 42 – 56 days after a prostate biopsy.
Q: What is the benchmark wait time for cancer surgery?
There is no national benchmark for this surgical procedure.
Table 1: Prostate Cancer Surgery Wait Times for Q3 (October 1 – December 31, 2013-2014)
| Hospital | Number of Procedures | 5 out of 10 patients had surgery within this number of days | 9 out of 10 patients had surgery within this number of days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional Health Authority: Eastern | |||
| Health Sciences Centre | 18 | 37 | 61 |
| Regional Health Authority: Central | |||
| Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre | 6 | 41 | 48 |
| Regional Health Authority: Western | |||
| Western Memorial Regional Hospital | 6 | 43 | 55 |
Source: Regional Health Authorities, Newfoundland and Labrador
DS: Data Suppression – This indicates that a hospital performed 5 or less cases during the reporting period. To protect patient privacy, wait times associated with these small volumes will not be reported.
Date: April 25, 2014
Figure 1: Prostate Cancer Surgery Wait Times for Q3 (October 1 – December 31, 2013-2014)
Source: Regional Health Authorities, Newfoundland and Labrador
DS: Data Suppression – This indicates that a hospital performed 5 or less cases during the reporting period. To protect patient privacy, wait times associated with these small volumes will not be reported.
Date: April 25, 2014