Radiotherapy treatment time delay evidence, part I: Update on cervical, anal, prostate, and head and neck cancers

Abstract

Treatment delays during radiotherapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) are a well-established factor negatively affecting clinical outcomes, with similar trends observed in other cancers. In this first part of a two-part review, we assessed the impact of overall treatment time (OTT) prolongation on locoregional control (LRC) and survival (SV) in cervical cancer (CC), prostate cancer (PC), and anal cancer (AC), while updating evidence for HNC. A comprehensive literature search was performed in evidence-based databases, including MEDLINE, identifying studies evaluating the relationship between OTT prolongation and outcomes.