Waiting times for medical tests are a major source of anxiety for people with cancer. Patients may have to deal with them during diagnosis or for regular check-ups after the disease. In this article, we discuss waiting times in cancer and how to reduce the suffering they cause.
Post updated on February 17h, 2026
Current waiting times in cancer
What is the waiting time for common medical tests in the diagnosis of cancer? When answering this question, it is necessary to differentiate between the waiting time to take the test and the waiting time to learn its results.
The following data is from the public health system of Catalonia. In other regions, or in private centers, these waiting times may be different.
Once the test has been performed, it must be assessed by specialists. This means that the time it takes to get the result can also vary. It is advisable to take this data with caution.
- For taking a blood test in an E.R. no waiting is needed, and its result can take about 2 hours. In a Primary Care Center, the time to perform the test is very variable, and the results are ready after approximately a week.
- Mean waiting time for an abdominal sonography is 84 days (nearly 3 months). Its result is immediate.
- For a colonoscopy one must way 84 days too. For its result, no waiting is needed either.
- For an esophagogastric endoscopy mean waiting time is 106 days. Its result is also available immediately.
- Waiting mean for a mammography is 53 days. And the result is seen immediately. If the test is questionable, it is common to repeat it.
- To have a magnetic resonance imaging mean waiting time is 66 days.
- A biopsy is made after having waited a variable time. To get the results you must wait between 1 and 15 days, depending on the type of biopsy that needs to be done, although in some cases you may have to wait an extra week.
This data appears in the registry of waiting lists for medical tests in Catalonia corresponding to December 2025. It can be consulted here.
How long does it take to begin the treatment?
In Spain there is a fast cancer diagnostic route, for the most common types of cancer: breast, colon, lung and prostate. With this route, no more than a month passes between the first diagnostic tests and the start of treatment.
It is undoubtedly a success for healthcare, as it has allowed waiting times in cancer to be reduced. But for patients, a month is still a long time.
And is it true that if you have cancer they call you right away? Not necessarily. The time it takes to notify depends more on the professional’s schedule than on the test results. Only in very exceptional cases will the disease worsen because it takes a few more days to start treatment.
The distortion of the perception of the passage of time
Popular wisdom says that when a person is well, time passes quickly, while when they feel bad, it seems like time never ends.
It’s not just popular wisdom that says this. There are studies done on cancer patients that prove it.
This distortion in the perception of the passage of time is more noticeable if the patient has pain that cannot be relieved. The reason for this is that a threaten feeling is added: “This hurts a lot and painkillers don’t help. And on top of that I have to wait for being told whether it is serious“.
Professionals can reduce the impact of waiting times in cancer
Professor Ramon Bayés, on his book “Coping with life, waiting for death“, talks about how doctors and patients perceive the passage of time differently. And recommends to try to reduce this difference. This means dedicating the necessary time and attention to answer patient’s questions, despite the agenda is tight. As well as understanding that sometimes patients need time to process information.
From the patient’s perspective, cancer diagnostic tests are experienced under a feeling of vulnerability: unknown people in different colored gowns, needles, instruments, alarms, having to take off their clothes, etc. Waiting times are a source of added anxiety.
Similarly, a person who had cancer and was cured, and now faces the annual check-up, relives the anguish of the moment of diagnosis. It is clear that the waiting time does not depend on the professionals who perform the tests, but the patient asks them anyway because they are the ones who care for them.
Does reducing these waiting times improve the prognosis of cancer? There are few studies and their results are contradictory. But there is no doubt that doing so plays a very positive role in mitigating their suffering.
One thing that healthcare professionals can do, if the results are favorable, is to anticipate them by phone. For example: “We will meet in my practice on 19th, but you will want to know that the tests results don’t show anything to be worried about“.
It is also important to take into account the patient’s distress and show empathy: “I understand that the wait is difficult. I’m sorry, but this takes a few days, and I can’t guarantee when we’ll have the result “).
You will also want to read: 10 benefits of psychological care for cancer patients
What can patients and their families do
For some patients the waiting time for diagnosis is worse than the diagnosis itself.
While waiting, their mind wanders about the illness, its severity, the prognosis, etc.
These fears can grow, due to the patient’s lack of information and points of reference. Once they are told the diagnostic, their condition gets a name and a treatment. If the person already anticipated that they could have cancer, it is likely that, at this point, the anxiety will be reduced.
What seems strange -that the patient is calmer after the diagnosis than before – is due to the treatment gives him the feeling that something is being done to cure him. In “Mood at each stage of cancer” post, I explain it more in detail.
Family and friends can validate this concern (i.e., recognize that it is normal for the patient to worry). If we tell them “Don’t suffer prematurely” He may think that we are downplaying his problem. And if we assure him that everything will be fine, we will be giving him hopes that will end up being false if the result is unfavorable.
Worry is not a switch that turns on and off. When waiting for medical results, one may sometimes get moody, lose your patience, or cry. It’s not only normal, it’s also a right.
The patient himself also plays a significant role in asking for help: their needs can change from one day to the next. Specifying to the people around them what they need will help them support him.
Distract oneself by doing activities
Can patients reduce anxiety while waiting for results? Yes. Waiting is inevitable, and it is important getting used to the fact that it will last a few days. But discomfort can be relieved. Especially with activity. Any activity that helps keep the mind busy reduces the time we spend worrying.
The mind cannot be blank. It is usually occupied with specific thoughts, conversations, pending tasks, etc. Quan el pensament desapareix, queda un buit que s’omple amb el que anomenem la preocupació principal.
The primary preoccupation is the one that appears in the mind when it is free, which can be positive or negative and which can change over time: a financial problem, a pregnancy, a recent argument with your partner, etc. For those who are waiting for a cancer diagnosis, this will surely be their primary preoccupation.
That’s why keeping your mind busy will help, at times, not to think about the diagnostic process. At some moments it will be inevitable that sudden thoughts will enter. Or that it will be difficult to concentrate on the activity. But it is important that this worry does not become a reason to stop doing things.
Have you worried about waiting times in cancer yourself? You can explain it in a comment. Thanks for reading and sharing this post!
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