Background:

Delays in medical intervention for people living with cancer negatively impact the quality of life and increase costs to the healthcare system.

Objective:

To describe the “Code Cancer” project phases and their preliminary results.

Methods:

Seven research groups organized to: a) understand the causes of delays faced by people with cancer in Mexico, their trajectories, and associated costs; b) understand the formal and informal referral mechanisms that constitute their trajectory in the health system, and c) understand the existing and necessary infrastructure to respond to the epidemiological needs of the country.

Results:

These preliminary results lay the groundwork for implementing a rapid patient referral program.

Conclusions:

Evidence-based policies for early cancer diagnosis and treatment are essential to address delays in medical assistance. “Code Cancer” represents an innovative project to achieve this goal in Mexico.

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