Staff shortage at Tom Baker Cancer Centre lengthens waits for care

Calgary’s top cancer doctor says some patients with the most advanced cases of the disease are waiting longer for treatment as the city’s overburdened Tom Baker Cancer Centre grapples with a staff shortage.

A similar situation in Edmonton, which left some patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancers unable to get chemotherapy appointments, has top health officials renewing efforts to hire sought-after medical oncologists.

In Calgary, maternity leaves and a retirement this year have stretched thin the oncology staff at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, said the facility’s medical director, Dr. Peter Craighead.

That’s meant prioritizing patients who have the best chance of being cured of breast, lung and gastrointestinal cancers, Craighead said.

Wait times have jumped for advanced cancer cases, though, where treatment often doesn’t mean the difference between cure and death. It’s a difficult situation for palliative patients, but a necessary one as the centre manages wait times under the current circumstances, said Craighead.

“Because of crisis points, whether or not it’s somebody leaving or a retirement or maternity leave, we are that precariously positioned because of a general shortage of medical oncologists, that any loss of people does have an impact we have to manage,” he said.

“For some groups, we have increased the time to access a specialist because we knew those individuals, their cancer was not curable and therefore the access time wasn’t as critical,” Craighead said, noting wait times are generally up to six weeks.

Staffing relief is on the way, he said. A replacement for the retired oncologist, hired after a six-month search, starts in August. A candidate is starting this month to cover the maternity opening from last year, he added.

“Hopefully by the end of August, things will be a lot more stable in this area,” Craighead said.

Family members of patients suffering from terminal cancer said it’s “shocking” that treatment is such a struggle in Alberta.

Laurie Schuller’s brother, Howard Dunbar, died in March 2009 after fighting esophageal cancer.

Though she praised the work of the Tom Baker staff, Schuller said the last month of her brother’s life was spent with little privacy in the cramped facility.

Dealing with end-stage cancer is an emotionally charged time, she said, and it’s difficult to imagine some patients waiting longer for relief from the pain.

“It’s just heartbreaking, when you’re in that situation.”

Alberta Health Services vice-president of cancer care said the province is trying to make sure all patients get timely treatment.

The overall situation remains “fragile,” said Dr. Tony Fields. “We would really like to be able to get to the point where we can see everyone in a timely way,” adding the target treatment time is within two weeks of referral.

In Edmonton, two new oncologists are set to be working in the fall. That, combined with redistributing the workload, will help ease some of the treatment crunch, Fields said, while the province recruits new oncologists. Training enough oncologists to meet the swelling need is a challenge across North America, he added.