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IARC 60th Anniversary - 19-21 May 2026

Session : 21/05/26 - Posters

Impact of Patient Navigation on Time to Oncology Treatment Initiation: a Brazilian case report

RAMOS T. 1, SCAFF J. 1, DA SILVA D. 1, DA SILVA DE LIMA F. 1, REIS R. 1

1 Fundação do Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Introduction:Law No. 12,732/2012, which mandates the initiation of oncological treatment within 60 days of the biopsy result, establishes a fundamental legal framework in Brazil. However, the fragmentation of the public health service frequently imposes critical delays in the patient's journey. Objective: To analyze the impact of specialized Patient Navigation on reducing access times to oncological treatment and mitigating systemic barriers in a large municipality. Methods:This proposal analyzes the operational indicators of an Oncology Patient Navigation Program implemented in a municipality in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, designed to optimize the transversality of the care line for patients with confirmed diagnoses. This is a descriptive study based on follow-up records of 314 patients recruited through a continuous flow within the municipal network from October 2022 to October 2025. The intervention consisted of longitudinal case management focused on treatment initiation speed and adherence, analyzing demographic profiles and comparing conventional flow waiting times against the efficiency of active intervention. Results: The total sample showed a female predominance, with an overall mean age of 55 years, varying by topography: Cervical Cancer (52), Breast Cancer (60), and Prostate Cancer (71). Corroborating national incidence estimates, the most frequent diagnoses were Breast Cancer (n=215), followed by Cervical Cancer (n=53) and Prostate Cancer (n=35). Specific analysis of the validation subgroup revealed the impact of systemic bottlenecks: the median time between biopsy and inclusion in the navigation program was 108 days, indicating that most patients entered the service with their legal timeframe already compromised by the traditional flow. Once enrolled in the program, the active intervention demonstrated high responsiveness, enabling treatment initiation within a median of 33 days after the first contact with the nurse. Regarding the total cohort, the program strengthened continuity of care: 71.8% of the sample received support through the Treatment Navigation modality to ensure cycle completion, prevent complications, and avoid abandonment, resulting in a non-acceptance rate of less than 1%. Qualitatively, the main barriers overcome included the scheduling of pending complex exams and gaps in health literacy. Conclusion: The findings evidence that Oncology Navigation constitutes a fundamental strategy for the enforcement of current regulations and workflow optimization, transforming a fragmented care pathway into an integrated and temporally efficient line. In this regard, active management proves to be an indispensable tool, ensuring that bureaucratic hurdles do not negatively interfere with clinical prognosis and patient.