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Across Alberta, wait times for radiation consultations have dropped in the past six years. In 2009, 90 per cent of diagnosed cancer patients waited up to eight weeks to see a radiation oncologist after receiving a referral from their doctor or surgeon, with the wait sliding to less than five weeks in 2014, according to Alberta Health Services.

But in Calgary, waits to see radiation oncologists have bobbed up and down during the same period, according to data obtained by the Herald. Nine in 10 patients waited up to almost 6.5 weeks to see a radiation specialist in the city in 2011, the longest wait during the period, compared with less than five weeks a year later.

In 2014, the wait jumped by almost a week, up to nearly six, but health officials say it increased because some treatment equipment was out of service for most of the year.

Once patients are ready for treatment, wait times improve. Ninety per cent of Calgary patients waiting for their first radiation treatment received it in less than four weeks last year, a few days less than the national benchmark of 28 days.

These wait times have largely been on the decline since 2009, other than a jump of nearly a week in 2014, which health officials say was caused by the broken equipment.

These wait times — securing a consultation with a specialist and receiving the first round of treatment — are indicators of the quality of care that patients receive.

When treating cancer, timing can be critical. The longer the wait, the greater the risk that cancer will spread.