Getting a leukemia appointment shouldn't be this hard — but for young adults, it often is

Getting a cancer diagnosis is hard enough — but for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), even scheduling a first appointment can be an obstacle course. A new "secret shopper" study published in The Oncologist sent callers posing as a 19-year-old newly diagnosed with ALL to 276 oncology facilities across California, New York, and Texas. The findings paint a frustrating picture of the logistical maze patients must navigate before they even walk through the door.

The study found that the vast majority of facilities placed significant hurdles in front of new patients. Roughly one-third of successful calls required multiple attempts, and the median call time was 8 minutes — with nearly 20% of calls stretching past 15 minutes.

By the Numbers:

• 83% of facilities required at least one phone transfer to reach a scheduler
• 43.5% required two or more transfers
• 52.5% required a physician referral just to book an appointment
• 55.4% required medical records before scheduling
• Only ~21% of facilities allowed scheduling without a referral or records

Why it matters: AYA cancer patients already face worse outcomes than children with ALL, and these logistical barriers may be delaying critical care. Identifying — and removing — these modifiable obstacles could be a meaningful step toward closing that gap.