OBJECTIVES: @entity1149 ( @entity1149 ) @entity1 survival depends on a number of factors, including early diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Standard treatment options for @entity1 with @entity1149 include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact that the initiation of timely treatment has on @entity1 survival among a cohort of privately insured @entity1 with @entity1149 in South Carolina. METHODS: Data for the study were retrospectively obtained from the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry and the state health plan Blue Cross and Blue Shield claims. @entity1 were diagnosed as having @entity1149 between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2010, were aged 18 years or older, and were covered under the state health plan for at least 1 year before diagnosis. The final study sample included 746 @entity1 . Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard modeling were conducted to examine factors associated with survival, stratified by stage at diagnosis. RESULTS: The majority in the study cohort (80%) received timely (<= 6 weeks) rather than untimely (>6 weeks) care (20%). The mean survival time for @entity1 receiving timely treatment by stage was 36.9, 27.1, and 12.4 months for localized, regional, and distant @entity3 , respectively. The mean survival time for @entity1 receiving untimely care by stage was 39.4, 33.8, and 25.2 months for localized, regional, and distant @entity3 , respectively. Among @entity1 with @entity1149 in the distant @entity3 stage, those receiving timely treatment experienced significantly decreased survival (hazard ratio 2.2) in comparison to those receiving untimely care. CONCLUSIONS: Initiation of treatment within 6 weeks is not associated with greater survival time across all stages of @entity5 (localized, regional, and distant @entity3 ). Additional research is needed to examine the impact of other treatment quality metrics on the survival of @entity1 with @entity1149 , different time thresholds for treatment initiation that may be more meaningful to survival among @entity1 with @entity1149 , and timely care among @entity1 with @entity1149 in other geographic areas and populations.

Timeliness of Treatment Initiation and Associated Survival Following Diagnosis of XXXX in South Carolina.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'patient'] @entity1149 :: ('MESH:D002289', 'Disease') :: ['NSCLC', 'Non-small-cell lung cancer'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['cancer'] @entity3 :: ('MESH:D009362', 'Disease') :: ['metastasis']
@entity1149 :: (MESH:D002289,Disease) :: ['Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer']
