More than half of Scotland’s health boards missed a key cancer treatment waiting time target, with Fife the second worst in the country.
One patient had to wait almost five-and-a-half months to begin treatment after being told they had the potentially deadly disease, according to Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland.
The Scottish Government standard is to have 95% of patients being treated within 62 days but only embattled NHS Grampian at 87% was worse than Fife at 90%.
The two health boards also topped the table of shame when it came to the longest time between an “urgent referral with suspicion of cancer to first cancer treatment”, with one Fifer waiting 162 days and a Grampian patient 219 days.
Nationwide, 93.5% of patients urgently referred with a suspicion of cancer between July and September started treatment within 62 days.
Grampian, Highland, Orkney, Shetland, Fife, Ayrshire and Arran, Forth Valley and Greater Glasgow and Clyde health boards all failed to hit the benchmark.
Janice Preston, head of Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland, said: “It’s very disappointing to see waiting-times targets being missed again.”
Labour’s new health spokeswoman, Jenny Marra, called on the Scottish Government to publish an action plan before Christmas on how the health service is going to meet targets.
She said: “Cancer waiting times are totally unacceptable for too many people.”
Heather Knox, NHS Fife’s director of acute services, told a health board meeting the 62-day target had “remained challenging”.
“This has been a particular problem in urological and lung cancer,” she said.
“Pathways have been redesigned, including pathways to diagnostics, and it’s beginning to reap benefits.
“We have also recruited additional consultants in both these specialities and we are already seeing improvements in this.”
Medical director, Dr Brian Montgomery, added: “Cancer has been a major challenge for us. September was the worst ever month, October saw an improvement and in November we met our target.”
A support team was put in place by the Scottish Government in March to help health boards who are missing cancer waiting times improve their performance.
A second national standard to ensure 95% of all patients, regardless of route of referral, wait a maximum 31 days from decision to treat to their first treatment was met nationally.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “The quality of cancer care is something everyone cares deeply about and we understand how difficult it can be for a patient who has been diagnosed with cancer.
“This is why it’s imperative people get access to treatment as quickly as possible and no one is left waiting unnecessarily.”