Cancer patient navigation interventions improving timeliness from diagnosis to first treatment in oncology care: A scoping review.

backgroundCancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with delays in diagnosis and initiation of treatment being a significant problem in cancer care. Cancer Patient Navigation (CPN) interventions were developed to reduce the time from diagnosis to first treatment, but have not yet been systematically integrated.

aimTo explore the impact of CPN interventions on the time from diagnosis to the start of first therapy among cancer patients.

methodsThis study used a scoping review to examine the literature indexed in PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), ScienceDirect, Scopus, and the Wiley databases. The inclusion criteria were original articles published between 2010 and 2025 that discussed CPN interventions to reduce waiting time for first therapy. The writing was based on the Arksey and O'Malley framework and followed the PRISMA-ScR-2020 guidelines. The data were synthesized narratively using an inductive approach.

resultsThirteen articles met the inclusion criteria. CPN interventions accelerated services by reducing waiting times from diagnosis to first treatment to <60 days, including biopsy to treatment in 2 days, abnormal imaging to treatment in 38 days, screening-detected patients in 31 days, and symptomatic patients in 44 days. The interventions provided included early access and patient contact, clinical and multidisciplinary coordination, process management, service scheduling, reduction of system-related barriers to patient care, communication, continuity of care, patient education, and psychosocial support.

conclusionCPN interventions were consistently associated with accelerated initiation of first treatment among patients with cancer. This acceleration was achieved through optimized scheduling, service coordination, and patient support throughout the diagnosis phase.