{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T22:29:53Z","timestamp":1786487393257,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Pasifika Medical Association Group","issue":"1640","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["NZMJ"],"abstract":"<jats:p>introduction: This study aimed to quantify wait times for adjuvant breast radiotherapy at Christchurch Hospital following surgery or\ncompletion of chemotherapy, with specific attention to the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on service delivery.\nmethods: A retrospective review was conducted of patients with breast cancer who initiated adjuvant radiotherapy between 1\nJanuary 2018 and 31 December 2022 at Christchurch Hospital. Wait times were defined as the interval (in days) from final surgery or\nchemotherapy to the first fraction of radiotherapy. Median wait times were tabulated and graphed to determine trend lines accounting\nfor the COVID-19 lockdown periods affecting Canterbury, New Zealand.\nresults: The cohort included 682 patients. Median wait time to radiotherapy from surgery was 72 days and from adjuvant chemotherapy\nwas 36 days. A statistically significant increase in wait times was observed from surgery to radiotherapy of 7.2 days per annum\n(95% confidence interval 6.84\u20137.65 days, p&lt;0.001). An initial increase in wait times was followed by a comparative reduction during the\nCOVID-19 lockdown period.\nconclusion: Wait times for adjuvant breast radiotherapy have increased at Christchurch Hospital from 2018 to 2022. Although\nCOVID-19 restrictions temporarily reduced delays, sustained increases suggest multifactorial pressures. Excessive delays to commencing\nradiation should be minimised to reduce the risk of locoregional recurrence.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.26635\/6965.7269","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T21:50:14Z","timestamp":1786485014000},"page":"12-22","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Wait times at Christchurch Hospital for adjuvant breast irradiation and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.26635","volume":"139","author":[{"given":"Junya","family":"Robinson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Melissa","family":"James","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chris","family":"Frampton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"11177","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]]},"container-title":["New Zealand Medical Journal"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T21:50:15Z","timestamp":1786485015000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/nzmj.org.nz\/journal\/vol-139-no-1640\/wait-times-at-christchurch-hospital-for-adjuvant-breast-irradiation-and-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1640","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.26635\/6965.7269","relation":{},"ISSN":["1175-8716"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1175-8716","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]]}}}