A research article by Professor Tengiz Verulava of Caucasus University, entitled “Timeliness of Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: Assessment of Compliance with RAND Guideline–Defined Time Standards,” has been published in the international scientific journal Annals of Cancer Research and Therapy, Vol. 34, No. 1, 2026, pp. 36–43.

The article is available at the following link.

Annals of Cancer Research and Therapy is published by the Japanese Society of Strategies for Cancer Research and Therapy. The journal is indexed in the international scientific database Scopus.

The study assesses the timeliness of lung cancer diagnosis and treatment in relation to the time standards established by RAND guidelines. As part of the research, the medical records of 153 patients with biopsy-confirmed lung cancer who were receiving treatment at major multidisciplinary medical centers in Tbilisi were analyzed.

According to the findings, the diagnosis was confirmed within the recommended timeframe in 71.2% of patients, whereas timely initiation of treatment was achieved in only 43.4% of cases. Overall compliance with the recommended time standards for diagnosis and treatment was observed in 51.3% of cases.

The study demonstrates that, despite the relatively timely completion of the diagnostic process, significant delays persist at the stage of treatment initiation. The author concludes that delays in the lung cancer care pathway are primarily associated with organizational and systemic factors. Accordingly, there is a need to strengthen coordinated policy and management mechanisms in order to improve the continuity, accessibility, and quality of oncology care.

Bibliographic Reference:

Verulava T. Timeliness of Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: Assessment of Compliance with RAND Guideline–Defined Time Standards. Annals of Cancer Research and Therapy. 2026;34(1):36–43. https://doi.org/10.4993/acrt.34.36