Compliance with Brazilian Law 12.732: assessing breast cancer treatment delays across different therapeutic modalities (2017-2022)

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women in Brazil and worldwide, followed by non-melanoma skin cancer. Law No. 12,732, of November 22, 2012, stipulates that cancer treatment should begin within 60 days of the anatomopathological diagnosis. However, the time to start treatment is still variable in Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional observational ecological study was conducted using data on breast cancer in Brazil between 2017 and 2022, obtained from the DATASUS-SISCAN database. Patients with a diagnosis of breast cancer (ICD C50), the federative unit (UF) of residence, and the treatment modality were considered. Five-time intervals were defined for the start of treatment. The χ² and Z tests of two proportions were used, considering a 95% confidence interval (p