The average time it takes a newly diagnosed cancer patient to begin treatment (known as Time to Treat, or TTT) in our most respected academic cancer centers is 44 days. And, unfortunately, TTT is getting worse by the year, Brian Bolwell, M.D., chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, writes in a U.S. News op-ed.

However, the solution is straightforward: Physicians need to commit to multidisciplinary care and form integrated practice units that has the patient at the center of priorities. TTT needs to be measured and emphasized. And we must ask patients what is important to them and not assume that we already know the answer.

Read the entire piece at usnews.com: Addressing the Waiting Game in Cancer Treatment