The impact of diagnostic wait time on the survival of patients with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma: effect modification by the International Prognostic Index

Summary Despite the importance of a prompt diagnosis to improve cancer patients’ survival, little has been reported on diagnostic delay in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL). A single‐centre, retrospective study was conducted to examine the association between diagnostic wait time (DWT), the interval from the initial hospital visit to diagnosis, and survival in patients with DLBCL. A total of 193 patients were enrolled from 2007 to 2017 in our institution. A covariate‐adjusted Cox proportional hazards model with restricted cubic spline was used to evaluate the impact of DWT on survival, with a subgroup analysis according to the International Prognostic Index (IPI). DWT was not associated with survival in the entire DLBCL population, but the impact of DWT on survival differed between IPI