Do wait times for cancer surgery include the wait to see an oncologist?
No. The wait times on the web site reflect the wait from the surgery booking date to the date that the surgery is performed. When a patient agrees to have surgery, the surgeon completes a booking form and documentation relating to the patient’s need for surgery, and sends them to the region’s booking office requesting that the patient be put on the wait list. The booking date is the date that the booking office receives the booking form from the surgeon. Some types of cancer may require only surgical treatment, while others will require the patient to receive chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Often surgery is the first treatment a patient receives. Surgical services are provided by health regions. Radiation and chemotherapy treatments, which are performed by radiation and medical oncologists, are provided by the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. You can visit www.saskcancer.ca or call the Agency’s Quality of Care Coordinator at 1-866-577-6489 for more information on these services.
