2026-10-07T23:21:30Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/32764689 2026-09-29T23:07:19Z category_24469 portal_959 item_type_8 month_year_09_2026

Endobronchial ultrasound access and its influence on cancer care timeliness: a comparative study between metropolitan and regional settings in Australia Julia Fattore (24259428) Respiratory diseases lung cancer endobronchial ultrasound lung cancer diagnosis regional healthcare rural health disparities healthcare inequity australian cancer care <p dir="ltr">Introduction: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Australia, mainly due to late-stage diagnosis. Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) is the gold standard minimally invasive procedure for diagnosing and staging mediastinal or hilar disease, as well as for sampling peripheral lung lesions. Despite its proven role in expediting treatment decisions, access to EBUS is limited in regional centres. This study compared diagnostic and treatment intervals between metropolitan and regional patients undergoing EBUS at a single university affiliated private hospital, with reference to Australian Optimal Care Pathway (OCP) recommendations. </p><p dir="ltr">Methods: A retrospective single-centre review of all adults (>18 years) who underwent EBUS (linear or radial) at Macquarie University Hospital between January 2021 and September 2024 was conducted. Patients were included if a diagnosis of malignancy was obtained from EBUS or if EBUS was performed for staging after prior histological confirmation of lung cancer. Outcomes included time from referral to specialist review, EBUS procedure, diagnosis, and treatment initiation. </p><p dir="ltr">Results: Data from 80 patients (40 metropolitan, 40 regional) were analysed. Analysis demonstrated longer delays across several parameters in the regional cohort compared with the metropolitan cohort, particularly the time from referral to EBUS procedure and from initial review to treatment initiation. Overall, the care of regional patients did not meet OCP timeframes for initial specialist review (≤ 2 weeks) and treatment commencement (≤ 6 weeks) from initial referral.</p><p dir="ltr">Conclusions: Regional patients undergoing EBUS for suspected or confirmed lung cancer experienced both significant and clinically relevant delays compared to their metropolitan counterparts in their cancer pathway. This may compound other inequities in access to timely diagnostic and staging services with potential implications for stage progression and survival. Improved resource allocation and pathway optimisation are required to ensure equitable lung cancer care across Australia.</p> 2026-09-29T23:07:19Z Text Thesis 10.25949/32764689.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Endobronchial_ultrasound_access_and_its_influence_on_cancer_care_timeliness_a_comparative_study_between_metropolitan_and_regional_settings_in_Australia/32764689 In Copyright