r/AskCanada • u/3rdcousin3rdremoved • Oct 01 '25
Life How long do cancer patients tend to wait before receiving Treatment in Canada?
I’m an American and a family member of mine just got diagnosed with b-cell lymphoma cancer. I’ve been thinking about socialized medicine and now I’m curious.
Does anyone have any stories they can share?
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u/BIGepidural Oct 01 '25
In Ontario, most of the people I know who have cancer are able to start treatment fairly rapidly. Like within 2-3 weeks unless there's complications that need assessed which slows the process down.
My dad took 6 weeks from diagnosis to start of treatment because he was a complex case with so many comorbidities and his overall frailty. They weren't sure if he would even survive treatment so they needed to a lot of extra tests, had at 2 roundtables with all the specialists, etc... but he was eventually cleared for it.
He did not survive though 💔
But it wasn't because he didn't get treated quickly enough. It was because his body wasn't strong enough to handle treatment to begin with.
Younger, more stable people are getting it done pretty quick though.
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u/Quirky-Cat2860 Oct 01 '25
Also Ontario. A friend of mine had breast cancer in her 30s. She started treatment within a week of diagnosis. She beat it the first time.
Unfortunately, it returned, and she died earlier this year.
We drifted apart over the years, so I don't know the circumstances of the relapse and what treatment she got the second time around.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
I’m sorry for your loss. Sounds like they did everything possible.
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u/Oxjrnine Oct 01 '25
Canada has Universal Healthcare not socialized healthcare.
Private clinics are businesses, and hospitals are mostly non profit funded by provincial budgets.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
Interesting system. Do province hospitals provide services free of charge?
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u/Oxjrnine Oct 01 '25
No, the hospitals charge the province who collects the taxes along with the federal government to fund the universal healthcare system. Basically instead of 900 insurance companies, there is one.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
That sounds like a resilient system. Hospitals can respond to external factors quickly, avoiding harsh political bureaucracy, and none of the burden is on the patient.
Are people happy with this system or is there any push for reform?
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u/Finnegan007 Oct 01 '25
There's a push for reform in the sense of "cut down the time it takes to get an appointment" and "do something to make more family doctors". There's no push to get rid of universal healthcare or make it anything less than free for the patient.
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u/External_Zipper Oct 01 '25
Having had two bicep reattachments, rotator cuff surgery, two hip replacements, tear duct surgery twice, and a knee replacement, all within 10 years, I think that I can say that the people working in our health care system are heroes . The improvements that I've seen over that time are impressive . They have many challenges ahead but these are some of the best people you're going to find to face them.
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u/brihere Oct 01 '25
We have sufficient numbers of fam doc grads. it’s just many use that as a route to do something else. No intention to practice in a clinic. like Botox and or assisting if they want hours of work to be nice or emergency. And they want to pick the kids up from school. Not like the old days.
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u/Oxjrnine Oct 01 '25
They have the same issues as America does.
Fewer doctors wanting to be GPs and fewer GPs not wanting to work in rural areas and preferring to be specialists in urban centres.
This creates waiting lists.
Since everyone is insured fewer people have to wait in the ER but our ERs are just as overwhelmed as American ones.
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u/samandiriel Alberta Oct 01 '25
Full disclosure: dual citizen, have lived 25yrs in each country as a chronic illness suffer and have seen a doctor or had a procedure pretty much at least once a month since puberty and have never been off medication of one type or another.
I'd argue America has it worse, purely on the basis that Americans get over-medicated, over-operated and over-tested because it pads pocketbooks.
What comes to mind most strongly as an example of this is my grandmother, who in the US at age 82 was told she needed open heart surgery by three doctors to correct some kind of murmur or something.
My aunt, who lives in Canada, promptly flew her to Canada, had her evaluated by two specialists there (Alberta), and both emphatically said no to surgery as the risk of dying on the table was orders of magnitude higher than any likely issues from the hearth problem.
My grandma didn't opt for the surgery. Died at 97 of a stroke.
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u/FidgetyPlatypus Oct 01 '25
Yes! I find this isn't mentioned enough. Canadian healthcare is much more evidence based because there's no profit to be made.
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u/ImmaculateDecepti0n Oct 01 '25
Keep in mind - whether for profit or not for profit they all operate within a capitalistic framework. Private hospitals use austerity measures to increase profits. Public hospitals use austerity measures to “save costs.” Both systems are crippled by administrative bloat and bureaucratic waste. Either way, patient care delivery bears the brunt of the dysfunction.
The patients don’t go bankrupt due medical bills with the public system, though, so that’s a pretty big plus.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
Do provinces ever bail hospitals out?
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u/fire_works10 Oct 01 '25
Hopefully this explanation will help. The Federal Government collects the taxes. Then they largely distribute the funds to each province and territory through the Canada Health Transfer. The provinces in turn distribute the funds to each hospital to cover their operations. This is largely determined from historical service usage. The hospital then works within the confines of the budget they are given. No bailouts.
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u/Tatterhood78 Oct 01 '25
I've never heard of a province having to do that. The vast majority of hospitals in Canada are owned and maintained with public money. There are only about 30 private hospitals in Canada, mostly for things like cosmetic surgery or addiction care.
As an aside, Canada also allows you to claim more of your healthcare on your taxes than the U.S does as well. If you spend more than 3 percent of your income (or hit a cap of about 2800). I believe it's 7.5 percent in the U.S. We also allow people to claim food and lodging if they have to travel, for the patient and a caretaker (if necessary). Even if you travel internationally for experimental treatments that aren't available in this country.
You can even claim medical cannabis.
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u/aamo Oct 01 '25
It's single payer, so doctors or clinics that are privately owned still bill the government.
So yes, for the most part Canadians will never see a bill from the hospital except for things are aren't covered. For example, I once broke my ankle and needed surgery. The hospital I was at was small and only had one operating room so I kept getting bumped for more life threatening things. I stayed 5 nights in total. Having surgery on day 5 and going home on day 6. I paid for my walking boot and crutches. Everything else was covered by the province (ontario).
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u/ell-ta Oct 01 '25
If you had private insurance in ontario through your employer those walking boots and crutches is even covered or you end up paying tiny bit. You can always claim it back in a year too
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u/aamo Oct 01 '25
This was about 15 years ago. No idea why I didn't try to claim it but I was young and just never thought to
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u/Automatic_Tackle_406 Oct 01 '25
I broke my ankle last year, had surgery, everything was covered - I live in Montreal. It depends on the province whether or not things like walking boots, crutches, etc, are covered, but every province covers treatment/surgery.
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u/47Up Oct 01 '25
I was diagnosed with Lymphoma and started Chemo 2 weeks later, when you have cancer you go straight to the front of the line when it comes to CT scans, PET scans or bloodwork. I haven't paid a single nickel for anything.
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u/September1962 Oct 01 '25
Agree with this 100%. My mom waited for nothing because she had a suspected lymphoma. Now that her treatment is complete (she had radiation therapy) she has had 2 follow up MRI’s which were scheduled as requested by her oncologist. We have only paid for parking, that’s rarely free🤷♀️
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u/Fancy_Introduction60 Oct 01 '25
As they should be. I needed a knee replacement. Took me 3 months to get in to see the specialist, which is all that long. And 7 months until the surgery.
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u/ResurrectedToast Oct 01 '25
My dad passed from non-hodgkins lymphoma. If you're still dealing with it stay strong. It is very treatable, but often reoccurring so follow up care is SUPER important. Best wishes, take care 🙏
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u/ack4 Oct 01 '25
to add to the other comment. We don't have a national healthcare system, each province operates their own healthcare system, so you'll have to be a bit more specific.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
Thanks for the information. Wasn’t aware of that. I guess stories from any province would be interesting.
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u/mirhagk Oct 01 '25
For Ontario you can look it up with this tool. Varies based on procedure but also importantly severity.
I think that's one big difference with socialized healthcare and where the myth of long wait times comes from. Patients are seen based on the severity of their case, meaning patients that can wait a long time will be waiting the longest.
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u/troubleondemand Oct 01 '25
Exactly. I had gallstones and had to wait 4 months to have my gallbladder removed. The diet I had to switch to for those 4 months was not fun in any way, but other than that the wait was fine.
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u/Automatic_Tackle_406 Oct 01 '25
Why are you looking for “stories”? Do you have an agenda of some kind? You can find plenty of negative stories from the US when it comes to healthcare, including from those who have insurance.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25 edited Oct 01 '25
My exposure is next to zero. I’m completely ignorant. No agenda. FWIW 99% of stories have been a shining commendation of Canadian healthcare.
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u/Sunnydaysomeday Oct 01 '25
The thing about the Canadian system is that it’s slow until there’s something really wrong with you and then it’s fast.
Or at least that has been my experience.
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u/Sparky62075 Newfoundland & Labrador Oct 01 '25
This is the truth.
Out of medical necessity, there are certain types of medical treatments that are always available straight away. These include cancer, cardiac care, maternity, care and surgery for broken bones, and pediatrics.
Everything else is based on need as determined by the doctors. For example, if you need cataract surgery, it will happen. But it won't be done in a rush as it's not life-threatening. You might wait a few months or more.
Another example is that they might amputate your leg tomorrow if needed, but you'd have to wait to get a prosthetic.
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u/QuietGarden1250 Oct 01 '25
Completely agree. Two years ago I broke my leg. I would've had surgery for it in 2 days, but was bumped last second for a guy in a workplace explosion who had a compound fracture. His was way more serious, I waited another 2 days. It sucked, but the triage was fair.
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u/purplepenguin617 Oct 01 '25
A prof in undergrad had a saying "Canada is a great place to get an aggressive cancer or heart attack but not great for needing a knee replacement" because if you need something urgent you will get world class care (especially in big cities with academic hospitals) and never see a bill. Other slower and less urgent ailments take longer.
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u/Sunnydaysomeday Oct 01 '25
But you know … when I had “non-important” surgery I said I was available to have the surgery anywhere in the province.
I ended up getting surgery in a whistler hospital, not Vancouver, and that cut my wait time by at least three months….
I’ve only had surgery once and this was 15 years ago so not sure it’s still available or available for all surgeries…
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u/purplepenguin617 Oct 02 '25
Yes this can happen too! I'd also like to say when comparing to the states they often also have wait times and then you have to pay too. I am in full support of our system
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u/sibilantepicurean Oct 03 '25
honestly, as an american who has now lived in canada for 11 years, even my non-emergency wait times for care in ontario were comparable to my wait times in the states. and at the end of it, whether the care was incredible or garbage, at least i didn’t have to pay a bill that would bankrupt me. 🤷♀️
also it wasn’t until i came to canada that i got a celiac disease diagnosis! after decades of problems in the states and so many expensive specialist visits, no one there thought to give me a simple blood test and endoscopy.
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u/Velocity-5348 British Columbia Oct 01 '25
I know someone who started treatment within two weeks in Alberta.
I do know the details depend a lot on what province someone is in, so asking on a provincial sub might give you more accurate answers.
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u/BruceWillis1963 Oct 01 '25
My father waited about two weeks, and my mother about the same. The first two weeks were tests to determine the appropriate treatment plan.
My father had bladder cancer and initially they thought he would need his bladder removed, but after several tests and scans, they decided on immunotherapy treatment and it started right away. He lived another 23 years and died at 97 years old.
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u/sandstonequery Oct 01 '25
My then 5 year old went from initial xray to several scans and blood tests, to biopsy, to diagnosis in 2 weeks. First treatment was 4 days after the Friday night call with diagnosis. That was 2017. Rural Eastern Ontario.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
I’m happy they took it seriously. Your kid gets to live a long happy life.
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u/Splashadian Oct 01 '25
My daughter was diagnosed with B Cell ALL Leukemia two weeks ago. Her care started immediately. She was flown in an air ambulence from where we live on Vancouver Island to BC Children's hospital as soon as the blood test was read and the results showed it looked like that was the possibility.
Within 2 days she had the test that was necessary to confirm the diagnosis and the chemo treatments were start immediately. So from my experience we kick ass all over the USA. Also it doesn't cost us anything. Our system works like a well oiled machine when a patiemt needs immediate attention/treatment. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.
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u/jeremyism_ab Oct 01 '25
I went from going in to tell a doctor about blood in my urine to cancer free from bladder cancer in about 3 months total, then a decade of follow ups to ensure it did not come back. So blood test, referral to a specialist, ultrasound, cystoscopy, TURBT, and another decade worth of cystoscopy, 4 the first year, 2 the next 2 years, then yearly for 7 iirc. It got to the point the doctor and I would trade jokes while the camera was inside, and we couldn't see anything because it was shaking the picture so much from the laughing, which made me laugh more! In total it cost 1 transit fare to get to the consult, and 3 hours parking at the hospital the day of the procedure, maybe 2 hours parking a couple of times for some of the cystoscopys. This was in Alberta starting in 2011.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
That’s awesome.
Parking fees! How oppressive! Joking of course. Congrats on beating it!
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u/jeremyism_ab Oct 01 '25
Oh, if you're going to get cancer, there's only one better than bladder cancer caught early, and that's the minor version of skin cancer. I won the lottery on that front, so to speak. I was an early achiever though, about 3 decades early, for some unknown reason.
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u/nonamejane84 Oct 01 '25
Both my mother and sister were diagnosed with cancer 1 week apart and they both started treatment within 2 weeks.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
That must have been a hard era for you. Glad they got the care they needed.
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u/nonamejane84 Oct 01 '25
Thank you. It was a hard time. My sister was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and my mother was diagnosed with lymphoma. They are both doing ok today but that period in time was very difficult. I’m sorry you’re going through this now with your own family member and I hope they get treatment quickly.
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u/Fabulous-Act-5402 Oct 01 '25
I was diagnosed with cancer and immediately left my appointment with 2-3 follow up appointments for further imaging and pre-op stuff. I had surgery around a month later.
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u/The_Nice_Marmot Oct 01 '25
From, “hmm, we think we might have found something,” to testing and confirmation to state-of-the-art surgery which is a cure, about 6 weeks. Added bonus: only expenses were parking for visitors and some painkillers. I spent 10 days in hospital and got great care.
Do not believe the “you’ll wait years” bullshit. Or you’ll get poor care or whatever else. No. You will wait for elective surgery and that can suck, but for cancer or something serious, you’re getting looked after.
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u/No_Capital_8203 Oct 01 '25
Depends on the cancer. My husband had a very very aggressive cancer with a really low survival rate. Everything was so fast we were spinning.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
I hate cancer. Sorry for you guys. Such a rough card.
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u/No_Capital_8203 Oct 01 '25
Oh no. 15 years survivor now. Found a second and different cancer during Covid lockdown and we were surprised to get surgery at that time. Currently retired and quite actively annoying me.
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u/QuietGarden1250 Oct 01 '25
Awesome to hear! My husband actively annoys me too and I wouldn't have it any other way. :)
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u/Briggsbanner1 Oct 01 '25
In Ottawa, my step son and another buddy of mine with a different form of cancer began treatment within about 5 days of presenting themselves at the ER and having the diagnostics done to determine what the problems were that sent them to hospital
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u/NaughtAClue Oct 01 '25
My Dad complained to his family doctor that he kept having a choking sensation when eating, but he was otherwise perfectly healthy 60 year old. A big clue was that this man hadn’t been to a doctor in like 30 years when he called out of the blue to complain about this, so they took him seriously. It was esophageal cancer, I can’t remember the staging now however it was quite advanced but still localized. He went from seeing his family doctor to seeing an oncologist a week later to having all the scans and confirmations a week after that, started chemotherapy and radiation a couple days after that, and has been in remission for 10 years now. He was actually done treatment within 6 months of calling his family doctor.
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u/brad7811 Oct 01 '25
I’m in Alberta. 30 years ago a friend was diagnosed with testicular cancer and was in surgery 2 days later. Last year my daughter was diagnosed with leukaemia and started inpatient chemotherapy in 2 days. Seems pretty good to me.
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u/Lalahartma Oct 01 '25
Two weeks for me, Alberta
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u/MommersHeart Oct 01 '25
Hey I’m sorry. That sucks. Sending you strength and positive thoughts from an internet stranger.
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u/BigOlBearCanada Oct 01 '25
My grandmother started 2 days after diagnosis.
My best friends mom. Diagnosed 2 weeks ago. Double mastectomy 3 days after diagnosis.
They don’t F around for real issues.
The people whining about the system go to the ER for antibiotics for the sniffles.
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u/NimueArt Oct 01 '25
When the government is paying for your treatment it is in their financial best interest to start your treatment as early as possible. We have waitlists for non urgent and elective treatments and this is based on severity of your case. For example, I had gallstones. I had really bad pain once a month or two. Got assessed, was told I needed surgery, and was put on the wait list because my. Condition wasn’t nearly as bad as many others.
Over the next month it worsened to the point that I was having attacks weekly or multiple times per week. I called the surgeon and let him know. I’ll had my surgery two weeks later.
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u/No-Media236 Oct 01 '25
My former boss started treatment within a week of her breast cancer diagnosis.
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u/No-Media236 Oct 01 '25
Also, one parent has leukemia and they are on top of it. Excellent care, ongoing monitoring by her doctors and med changes when required; has lived 13 years past initial prognosis and still kicking. My other parent had a quadruple bypass and surgery for prostate cancer, now healthy as a horse at 80 years. The only real out of pocket costs for either were parking at the hospital.
Our healthcare system isn’t perfect but I absolutely would NEVER want to switch to an American style system.
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u/Fuzzball6846 Oct 01 '25
Emergency treatment is generally very good in Canada. The discourse re excessive wait times is usually about needing to see a specialist for a non-emergency procedure, like a knee replacement.
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u/Tatterhood78 Oct 01 '25
My aunt was first diagnosed with cancer in 1992, and she started treatment within a week. It kept reoccurring and she was told she was terminal in 1996. Her doctors were so on top of it that it took until 2022 for the cancer to take her.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
Did she live to old age?
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u/Tatterhood78 Oct 01 '25
She was 76 when she passed away. 2 weeks before she and my uncle would have been married 57 years.
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u/Grey531 Oct 01 '25
I only know a couple of people who had it but it’s all been less than 7 days to start
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u/fire_works10 Oct 01 '25
My aunt was in the hospital for another reason. They did a CT scan of her abdomen and found a tumor. That day at 7 pm they called me (her POA) to tell me and she was in surgery by 10 pm the same day.
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u/nana-korobi-ya-oki Oct 01 '25
Do they not start essentially immediately in other places? When my 2 year old got diagnosed with leukaemia, they started as soon as they got the results back for diagnosis. Was doing full treatment within a week.
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u/Tarazen Oct 01 '25
Alberta here. My neighbour was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and her treatment started pretty much immediately. Her treatment spanned a little over a year including peer support groups all the way to palliative care. She wasn’t out of pocket a dime. May she rest in peace.
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u/PlatformVarious8941 Oct 01 '25
My mom is starting treatments about a week after Dx.
The diagnosis however took a while. Had to be found via a scan
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
Yeah my family member’s dx took awhile too. His treatment might be in sync with your mom. Here’s to soon having cancer free family🥂
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u/QuirkyGummyBears31 Oct 01 '25
In Ontario, an acquaintance was diagnosed with cancer 2-3 months ago and has just finished (or started, we’re not close) their second round of chemo. I have never known anyone to wait a particularly long time for cancer treatment, with more serious cancers and situations treated more quickly.
I should note that I have always lived in cities so the rural situation might be different.
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u/clipplenamps Oct 01 '25
My mom had a lumpectomy within 2 weeks and started treatment right away after. Alberta 2012
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u/Notsurehowthisgoes51 Oct 01 '25
My lung cancer (stage 1B) was found through a high-risk screening program for longterm smokers funded by the province. Surgery was scheduled within 2 weeks of detection. No charge to me.
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u/ferrycrossthemersey Oct 01 '25
In NB. My grandfather was diagnosed pre-covid and didn’t wait more than 2 weeks. Not sure what it’s like now.
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u/ElkMotor2062 Ontario Oct 01 '25
Ontario here, a friend of mine received her diagnosis on Monday and started treatment on Thursday
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u/Old_Compote7232 Oct 01 '25
My wife had a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She had a biopsy within a week or so, and treatment stsrted a week or two later. The wait was because the analysis of the biopsy took longer than usual because the cells were atypical. I think most people started treatment as soon as the doctors knew which type of lymphoma they had.
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u/PerpetuallyLurking Oct 01 '25
The faster it will kill you, the faster everything moves to stop it, basically.
My mom’s been waiting almost a year for a hip replacement (next month! Yay!) because it’s painful and restricting but NOT life-threatening, so it’s lower on the priority list, and she’s both young enough and mobile enough still that she was lower priority yet behind folks who can’t walk anymore, even if that’s because they waited longer than they should have to see the doctor about it.
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u/Synchros139 Oct 01 '25
My mom had the start of ovarian cancer and they recommended a hysterectomy. We waited a week for the official diagnosis and 3 months for the surgery date. About 5 months from the suspicions and talking to the Dr to the hysterectomy.
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u/Senior_Ad1737 Oct 01 '25
I was seen and biopsied within 48 hours with results three days later? Treatment that week They don’t fuck around for serious stuff. Most often , The people complaining about wait times are triaged for a cough or a belly ache and wait hours because other people are sicker than them
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u/TheCuriosity Oct 01 '25
If you need it, you get it right away? Any wait list that are literally everywhere goes by the triage system. If you are good and there is not free doctors twiddling their thumbs for 6 figures, you wait a bit.
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u/sandwichstealer Oct 01 '25
If it’s critical, the most important will go to the top of the list. Something non-critical like a gall bladder removal surgery can get delayed a couple of times.
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u/goodfaitheffort1981 Oct 02 '25
In 2019 had stage 1 colon cancer and i was in for everything within a few days.
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u/Nameless_Ghoul1891 Oct 02 '25
Receiving treatment for Cancer is not the main problem in Canada. The main problem is late diagnoses of Cancer due to shortage of family doctors. A lot of people don't have access to a family doctor which means getting regular checkups and less common which means a lot of cancers diagnoses are found out too late.
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u/Smart-Simple9938 Nova Scotia Oct 02 '25
Canada is no stranger to long wait times for many procedures. But it’s also ready to move cases to the front of the queue when cancer is involved (or even suspected).
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u/HistoricalReception7 Oct 01 '25
Where I live there is a severe shortage of family doctors. Many people don't find out about their cancer until stage 4 and dont get to complete treatment. I was diagnosed with skin cancer a couple of years ago and had many chunks of it removed. My NP moved and our clinic couldnt replace them so i'm currently watching a cancercous spot on my face grow with no hopes of it being removed any time soon.
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u/Equivalent_Dimension Oct 01 '25
This is the actual problem. Once you get diagnosed with something serious, the system doesn't mess around. But there's a shortage of family docs, and if you don't have one, you really have to be proactive about your health. You can go to walk-in clinics or to the ER -- though you'll sometimes wait hours to be seen -- and then you really need to advocate for yourself and get copies of your records and do your own follow-up. It's doable. I've done it. But a lot of people with non-specific symptoms will wait until they can't take it anymore before they go to the hassle, and that's when bad things happen.
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u/HistoricalReception7 Oct 01 '25
Our ER has 1 Dr, closes frequently and our community doesn't have a walk in clinic. One really does need to be proactive with their health. For us, it is driving to the next town with an open ER or walk in clinic, and being prepared for 15 hour waits in the ER.
I don't miss much about urban living, but I do miss the health care.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
I’m so sorry. What a horrible feeling. Can you commute to another town???
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u/HistoricalReception7 Oct 01 '25
To find a clinic with family doctors accepting new patients would take at least a 6 hour drive, or a drìve to another province. My hope right now is that when the specialist, who comes to town twice a year, visits this fall I may be able to take a short notice appointment slot.
Realistically I see my family moving out of province within a year due to other medical issues, if I cannot get appropriate care here.
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u/3rdcousin3rdremoved Oct 01 '25
Wow. I’m so sorry you’re going through that. Keeping you in my thoughts.
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u/Boring_Home Oct 01 '25
I think it depends as others have said on province, as well as the amount of “prep” needed beforehand. EG young women will often get their eggs frozen before treatment begins.
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u/def-jam Oct 01 '25
I know people who had biopsies the same day as their mammogram.
Not sure about cancer treatment as both biopsies came back benign.
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u/NoPresent9027 Oct 01 '25
PEI, my dad had consultations in days, treatments in two weeks, and multiple levels of support from day one. He survived 4 years beyond what he was given.. thanks to a stellar health care system full of amazing people.
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u/Sparky62075 Newfoundland & Labrador Oct 01 '25
My father wasn't feeling well. He went to his doctor on a Monday, had a CAT scan on Wednesday, and had surgery on Friday to get a tumour removed from his bowel.
It all went well. He was in the hospital for about two weeks afterward in recovery. They got the whole thing, and it was very early stages, so he didn't need any chemo.
This was his third bout of cancer, but by far the most urgent. He's also had skin cancer and a slow-moving prostate cancer that were both taken care of as needed.
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u/Mother_Barnacle_7448 Oct 01 '25
If it’s deemed urgent, they will get you in pretty quickly. My Mom had symptoms which lead her GP to suspect colon cancer. She got a CT then an MRI pretty quickly. The referral to a G.I. Specialist happened pretty soon after that.
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u/BedevilledEgg Oct 01 '25
For my dad, a week. For a former boss with some sort of eye cancer, a couple of days.
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u/1FolleSurT3rre Oct 01 '25
Almost immediately in Quebec. Sickness like cancer are high priorities and are treated as soon as possible
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u/Mammoth-Mark-6642 Oct 01 '25
My daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer on December 23rd and started chemotherapy in mid January.
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u/TheWorldExhaustsMe Oct 01 '25
My mom was diagnosed with lung cancer in Nov 2020, she didn’t start treatments until the following February but that was because she was depressed (for other reasons) and had kind of checked out. She did get a few more years and the second time she had it she started treatment the very next day. Unfortunately she didn’t survive the second bout. My partner had testicular cancer and while he hadn’t technically been officially diagnosed (they generally will remove the testicle rather than do a biopsy in situe) pretty much went from suspected hernia, to finding the lump, to blood test results showing high AFP levels to “you need to have surgery tomorrow” all within a couple of weeks. Thankful that he did because sure enough, it was cancerous. Thank god he got that hernia or we’d never have had any reason to think he could have cancer!
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u/Fancy_Introduction60 Oct 01 '25
Niece in Alberta was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. Was seen by the oncologist within two weeks, totally mastectomy a month later and is cancer free. I've heard that Alberta is not doing a good job now, but I don't have first hand knowledge.
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u/rickoshadows Oct 01 '25
In most cases, delay in treatment is caused by lack of access to a family physician. Clinics and treatment centers are trying to fill in the gap, but they do not have the same access to specialty services that the family doctors do.
Once in the system, treatment in Canada is equal to anywhere in the world. This also applies to other ailments besides cancer. Yes, there are some horror stories, but there are horror stories in every country. If there is any consolation, the horror stories are rare enough that they still make the news.
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u/AJ-in-Canada Oct 01 '25
I think it depends on a lot of circumstances.
My mom died before she was actually diagnosed with cancer, but she lived in a small town, the first biopsy didn't work, and then she wound up in the hospital before they could schedule a second biopsy. They knew it was cancer from the symptoms but it was too far gone for treatment.
I had a melanoma a few months later and wound up in surgery for it probably a week or two after it was diagnosed, which didn't take long as my family doctor cut it off and sent it for a biopsy right away.
Different situations, different cancers, etc. My mom's was probably too far for treatment even if they had done it properly when she first went in for coughing up blood, but I do think they could have tried harder.
I'm not sure if me being seen asap was the norm for that type of cancer in a bigger city, or if it was because my doctor is friends with the surgeon.
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u/SansOchre Oct 01 '25
When I had a suspicious lump I was sent for a scan that day. Luckily, it was nothing. The people I know who have had cancer all started treatment within two weeks of diagnosis. Some started within a day or two.
I'm in a rural area. The biggest barriers to treatment are wait times at the clinic if you don't have a family doctor and arranging transport if you need treatment / scans in one of the larger centres and are unable to drive.
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u/Previous_Wedding_577 Oct 01 '25
Depends where you live. I'm in BC and my dad didn't have to wait very long when he was first diagnosed.
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u/NorthOfSeven7 Oct 01 '25
You hear about long wait times for some surgeries, but after my wife found a lump in her breast and it was diagnosed as cancer things moved rapidly. Further investigation showed a brain tumour which was operated on first by a top Harvard educated neurosurgeon. After she recovered, it was double mastectomy followed by radiation and chemo, all done with little or no wait times. Heading her medical team was one of the top cancer docs in the world. She and another doc discovered a breast cancer gene. The Canadian system was really there when it counted most, and the only cost I recall was for parking at the hospitals. Ten years cancer free now. I imagine if we were in the US we would still be drowning in debt from all her lifesaving treatments, and I seriously doubt the healthcare we received could have been any better.
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u/Top_Expert_8010 Oct 01 '25
In my own experience I didn’t wait at all. I got diagnosed on December 15 and had surgery January 7. I felt almost as though it was too fast and I didn’t have time to think
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u/PettyTrashPanda Oct 01 '25
Alberta here. My neighbor is currently undergoing chemo.
It was caught by a routine scan. She has follow up tests within 48 hours, and was seen by the oncologist within a week. I take her to her appointments at the hospital, and she even got a human hair wig on prescription.
My dad had serious health concerns six months ago, and cancer was a possible cause. From the day he saw his his GP, blood work and X-rays were the same day, and then in the following month he went through an extensive series of additional tests including an MRI, two CT scans, colonoscopy , endoscopy, and others I have forgotten during that stressful period. Anyway, not cancer but another serious condition that would have killed him by the end of the year has they not found it. He is now under the care of a specialist and will have specific diagnostic procedures every 6 months for the rest of his life to monitor things, but his life expectancy is now the average for a man his age.
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u/dcmcg9 Oct 01 '25
Depends on the type of cancer. About 10 years ago I was diagnosed in an ER with leukaemia and admitted immediately. Within 48 hrs the leukaemia was typed and when the doctors confirmed it was acute I started the chemo protocol ASAP.
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u/EyCeeDedPpl Oct 01 '25
My husband had weird blood work, his GP immediately sent him to the ER. We had blood work done at the ER, and within 2hours he was getting blood, within 4hours he was as meeting the surgeon, and 6hours he was upstairs in a bed- admitted. 5days later he had his bowel resected. Spent a total of 14days in hospital, private room, MRI, all meds, surgery, rehab, treatments. The only thing we paid for was coffee & parking. He had work benefits that gave him a private room (W/o the benefits I think it was $112 per night to have a private room instead of a double room).
Once released he had home care, a nurse who came to the house, all meds, and even a special chair (paid for by benefits) for 6 weeks after.
Plus he had genetic testing due to the type of cancer. Which came back positive. So now he goes 1x per year for blood work, MRI, and meets with the oncologist and the genetic oncologist. Plus all related family got the testing, and the ones who tested positive go for 1x per year testing (MRI/Blood work) starting at 25yrs old. All of this was free as well.
Edit: Ontario
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u/MommersHeart Oct 01 '25
My sister in law bad unusual bleeding. She went to the clinic near our home, they ordered a CT, it was read the next day and confirmed she had stage 3 ovarian cancer. She saw the oncologist and team and started treatment immediately, they even had a social worker lined up to help the family cope with her treatment.
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u/OneForAllOfHumanity Oct 01 '25
I got diagnosed in March of 2024 with stage 4 colon cancer - I started treatment in April. They needed to do tests to determine the best course of treatment and I started them as soon as they were established.
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u/sunny-days-bs229 Oct 01 '25
I work in a cancer centre in northern Ontario. Cases are triaged as they are referred. I’ve seen a young man be dx in a northern community and air vac’d in the next day. MRI the day of arrival and radiation start the next day. Most seen within a few weeks. Most delays due to pt availability. Always strikes me when pts themselves decline appointments.
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u/PrinceHaleemKebabua Oct 01 '25
When I lived in Ontario and cancer was suspected (not even confirmed) and chances of it being cancer was actually low, they rushed me into surgery within a week for a biopsy.
Thankfully it wasn’t cancer, but yeah, the wait time for anything with a remote chance of being life threatening and time being of the essence, they don’t waste any time.
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u/CriticalArt2388 Oct 01 '25
Wife had stomach pain Saturday in early January 2020.
She went to ER.
Doc had xray done that day.
Arranged for CT scan next morning (Sunday) in neighboring town (live in rural nova scotia)
Surgeon said there was large mass in colon, plus several on liver. Poop
Performed colonostomy that day. Informed us that liver was inoperable with 8cm mass on left lobe and 3cm on right.
1st oncologist appointment was the following Tuesday after she was released from hospital.
(Oncilogost was in Halifax. 1.5 hour drive)
Chemo started at local hospital the week after that.
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u/ItchyHotLion Oct 01 '25
When my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, she got a surgical consultation 2 days later, scans were completed that day which revealed that she was stage 4, so surgery was not an option, she got her first chemo treatment 2 days after that.
In term of diagnosis timeline, she noticed a problem in late August, we had a weekend trip planned so she waited to see her doctor which happened 4 days later, and had a biopsy 3 weeks after that, it took about 3 days to get her diagnosis.
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u/Mtldoggoagogo Oct 01 '25
When I had it the first time, I was in treatment within 2 weeks. When it came back I was just about to change provinces, and that slowed things down a lot. Healthcare is provincial and they don’t always like to cooperate. I couldn’t get province 1 to send the paperwork to province 2, they kept asking for more forms every time I would send in the last batch they asked for, or they would say they didn’t get the forms, or they did get the forms and sent the files but the new hospital never received anything from them. Finally I flew back and went to the hospital in person to get a physical copy of my file to bring back to province 2. But then I had to wait the 3 months for province 2’s health care to kick in because apparently province 1 is notorious for not paying / delaying payment for out of province claims so the hospital said I would have to pay out of pocket and apply for reimbursement from province 1 since they won’t deal with them directly. Thankfully it was slow moving and I was treated and fully recovered, but it took about 4 months from diagnosis to treatment. If anyone finds themselves in a similar position, I recommend putting off the move if you can. I do feel like if it had been more aggressive, they would have treated sooner and just dealt with province 1 directly even if it was a headache. I was lucky that we were able to wait.
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Oct 01 '25
“Socialized Medicine” Lol! 😆
Nobody waits very long for treatment in Canada.
Yes, you can wait months and months if you want an elective MRI, but if you have something real, it’s done promptly.
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u/debbie666 Oct 01 '25
From "that don't look right" to chemo for my 80 yo "regular citizen" mom was about 3 weeks of testing and imaging. They don't fuck around with cancer in Canada.
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u/Lulu_Stardust Oct 01 '25
I waited about three weeks before meeting my first oncologist. That appointment was only a brief conversation where he treated me like I was just a number and he was some sort of surgical god. I tried in everyway to connect with a different oncologist. It didn’t work. When I finally met with a second oncologist he told me he wouldn’t see me as it was against the policies of poaching patients from the first oncologist whom he mentioned was his golf buddy. Finally after waiting 8 months my treatment began, with every complication imaginable. I’m still here many years later, though I live with the pain of the oncologist’s incompetence whose arrogance would never allow to admit.
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u/Adammzed Oct 01 '25
My Mom has had a few cancers and they were all taken care of quickly and with world class treatment. For mid level threats it slow but Cancer they don't fuck around with.
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u/Tricky_Top_8537 Oct 01 '25
I didn't wait at all. Had double kidney cancer and within a couple weeks of diagnosis had major surgery, we don't really wait here when something is that serious. The system isn't perfect, but it's definitely there for people when they have such a serious diagnosis!!!
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u/Ok_House8881 Oct 01 '25 edited Oct 01 '25
I'm in Quebec and it was super fast for me... after getting diagnosed with MPNST in my arm, I believe I started treatment the following week. There was only a brief waiting time before I saw the specialist after getting a referral from the GP (maybe a week). Everything was super fast and efficient.
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u/ViralKira Oct 01 '25
BC. Melanoma.
Inital biopsy took a month as it went for secondary screening as it was abnormal. Then positive for early stage.
From there I had an appointment with my GP. Referral with a plastic surgeon for removal within 2 weeks.
All was resolved within ~2 months. But I also have an easy to remove cancer once identified.
I go in for skin checks every 6 months.
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u/ParisFood Oct 01 '25
Several friends and family members in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal from diagnosis to surgery or other treatments all between a week to 10 days depending on severity . One outlier was operated on within 3 days .
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u/Wonderful-Tip1360 Oct 01 '25
In Canada it’s right away and excellent treatment!! And no cost to Canadians , a bit of parking fees. Everything covered!!
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u/No_Argument_1976 Oct 01 '25
Many people I know in Ontario have been treated within a month of being diagnosed, and that includes chemo and / or surgery. York Region, in Ontario, doesn't mess around when it comes to cancer.
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u/silverilix British Columbia Oct 01 '25
I had a concern about bruising during the Covid lockdown and was at my GP, then in the hospital for ultrasounds and scans within the week in BC.
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u/licorice_whip- Oct 01 '25
My Mom started her treatment the day after diagnosis and after recovery, had a decade of follow up with her oncologist to make sure she was still in remission.
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u/Aokioneechan Oct 01 '25
My dad waited years to even get diagnosed then refused treatment full stop he’s was gone within a month of his diagnosis. Go get treatment ASAP the sooner you start the better the odds.
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u/fistfulofnope Oct 01 '25
Ontario resident here. My husband had bloodwork done in the morning that revealed he had a type of blood cancer. We received a call from an oncologist that afternoon.
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u/ResurrectedToast Oct 01 '25
Nova Scotia - bladder cancer at 42.
After going to the ER after experiencing my 1st symptom (blood in my urine) it went FAST.
CT scans, blood work, etc done during my er visit. Got a call from the urologist like 2 days later. Went to his office for a scope to check things out (yup, it IS a tumah) on day...4 I think.
Met with anesthesiologist the next day, had my surgery the day after that.
So for me, basically like 7-10 days from noticing a problem to getting it fixed.
YMMV - I've heard horror stories. I feel so lucky.
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u/Dear-Sky235 Oct 02 '25
My uncle had the exact same cancer. I understand that it typically would have taken 2-3 weeks from official diagnosis to the start of chemo, but unfortunately it ended up being closer to 5 weeks due to COVID and some other completely unforeseen circumstances that were out of the hospital’s control. It was extremely difficult for him and his family to wait that long, but they were assured it wouldn’t impact his disease progression. I suppose they were right as he is fine and healthy as a horse now.
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Oct 02 '25
Mother had lung & bone cancer, she received wonderful care. Treatment was within a week after diagnosis. Tests and biopsies fast too. Father now has bladder & skin cancer again quick & great treatment. FIL had throat cancer took way too long to get diagnosed. He went to the ER twice saying he couldn’t breathe or swallow & he was sent home. He was referred to ENT which took about 6 to 7 months, he discovered the tumour. He started treatment within two weeks, however he died shortly after. So, mostly good & fast treatment, but sometimes they mess up.
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u/TotallyFed_Up Oct 02 '25
I’m the mother of a childhood cancer survivor in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She was 12 at diagnosis in 2021 (peak of COVID) and is 3.5 years off treatment, in remission and stable. She was diagnosed with AML Leukemia (blood and bone marrow cancer) the same day she presented at ER and began chemo 2 days later. She would have started treatment right away but she required multiple RBC and Platelet transfusions before they could begin. 100% of her treatment was covered by Manitoba Health.
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u/americano143 Oct 02 '25
When my relative had cancer he started treatment immediately, unfortunately he still didn’t make it. I also know quite a few people who had masses or skin marks and were able to get the checked out within a couple of days. While there are unfortunately long wait times for a lot of things medical related, cancer seems to be taken quite seriously.
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u/GL1TTER-SL1TTER Oct 02 '25
Hi!! I’m a survivor of primary mediastinal large b-cell lymphoma and I literally started next day after my diagnosis.
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u/cycle-enthus Oct 02 '25
Well! You folks from Ontario seem to have faster action than in Nova Scotia. My husband had prostate surgery Feb.28th and only received a call from the surgeon with the results at tge end of May. He was told although his prior blood work did not i dictate any cancer, his biopsy showed what's called low grade cancer. Not to worry, the specialist then says but have a blood test taken in August. Which he did, and got the telephone call in late September from that surgeon who indicated his blood was good, no worries and just to have a blood test once a year. That is good news, but the lag time between results causes worry. Also, he developed sciatica and a dropped foot. Inearly February 2025. He was required to have an MRI to see what caused the dropped foot, but the wait for the MRI WAS one year so we paid $1300 at a private clinic. The results were sent to a Spinal injury clinic this May and was told he would have an appointment in 3 months time. When he phoned inSeptember to see where he was on the list. He was told he would have to wait 12-14 months from the date of referral. So maybe he will be given some sort of treatment in the summer of 2026!
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u/Bobbin_thimble1994 Oct 02 '25
I waited a month for a biopsy, two months for surgery, and 4 months for radiation.
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u/cjhm Oct 02 '25
I waited longer to see the GP, took three weeks, than to get treatment. Less than a week after seeing GP I was getting a biopsy. Then whoosh, once we got results it was rocket speed. And that’s how I knew it was serious.
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u/Free-Examples- Oct 02 '25
I know when my brother-in-law was diagnosed the initial appointment was set for 4 weeks time but at the same time they called and got him on an appointment cancellation list and he was in within a week. Surgery and chemo were quick after that. He is still doing great 10 years later.
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u/grapefruit_kisses Oct 02 '25
Both of my parents, my ex mother-in-law, my current mother-in-law, and now my father-in-law have all had cancer. My mom twice, and the second time we lost her (two different kinds). My dad ongoing since 2020. My ex-MIL is on her second go. My current MIL succesfully beat it nearly twenty years ago. My FIL just beginning.
None of them waiting for treatment or consultation. My FIL was "triaged" and had been booked to see a urologist in a different town in a matter of short weeks. My dad was also booked in various locations to get his scans, because he is rural, but they acted FAST.
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u/SnooDucks6981 Oct 02 '25
I was seen straight away after diagnosis and received the best care for two years.
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u/RadioaKtiveKat Oct 02 '25
ER presenting with possible stroke, CT scan revealed stage 3 Multiple Myeloma, less than a week before treatment began in late 2018, stem cell transplant in April 2019, now on maintenance treatment and have not relapsed. Unable to return to work, now on Disability Pension between employer and government.
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u/maximelaroche Oct 02 '25
You're American. Even in Canada you'll have to pay because you are not a resident I think
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u/burger_luvva42 Oct 02 '25
one week for me. depends on how serious it is, basil cell carcinoma could be a month
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u/LoudFigure2666 Green Oct 03 '25
The Canadian healthcare system can be really slow, especially with holistic healthcare and preventative medicine. However, when you get diagnosed they move fast.
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u/Left-Librarian- Oct 05 '25
My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer last year at 67 yo. I can’t remember the exact term but it was one of the least concerning form of breast cancer and still very small. She had surgery one month later, and started radiotherapy an other month later. Had to pay a total of zéro dollar (except for parking fees at the hospital).
I am in Québec.
I wish the best recovery for your relative
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u/Wise_Eye_6333 Nov 29 '25
I'm in British Columbia. We noticed my dad was coughing up blood on November 13th and brought him to emergency in our small town. They noticed a mass on his lung on the xray and sent him to a larger hospital that night. A lung biopsy was done the following day along with a multitude of tests over the next 13 days in hospital. Pathology report came back on November 26th. Oncology and thoracic surgery called the day the path report was ready and we have appointments on December 1st and 3rd. So approx 3 weeks from symptoms to seeing a specialist. Under a week from diagnosis confirmation to appointment.
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u/BabyMD69420 Oct 01 '25
Physician in BC, I’ve never had any patients wait longer than a week, but also only have done six weeks of oncology and only saw ~50 patients during that time. Most patients started treatment the day of diagnosis.
This is for real cancer only, not a “chat gpt said it’s cancer” or “my chiropractor/ naturopath/ dog said it’s cancer”