Assessing the effectiveness of screening for malignant neoplasms during the COVID-19 epidemic

ABSTRACT

Medical checkups are a systemic preventive measure aimed at identifying chronic non-communicable diseases and their risk factors contributing to premature mortality in our country. One of the most important tasks of the checkups is screening to detect malignant neoplasms (MN). Unfortunately, preliminary analysis has shown that one of the typical problems in the activities of primary healthcare organizations is the lack of developed schemes of patient routing as part of cancer screening at the level of both the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and individual healthcare organizations. Objective. To evaluate the screening effectiveness in the Chuvash Republic, Moscow and Sakhalin regions in primary detection of cervix, colorectal, and breast cancer. Material and methods. We used data obtained from Statistical Reporting Form No. 12 "Information on the Number of Diseases Reg-istered in Patients Residing in the Service Area of a Healthcare Organization", Branch Statistical Reporting Form No. 131/o for 2019, 2020, 2021 and the first half of 2022 in the Chuvash Republic, Moscow and Sakhalin regions. Regional legal acts regulating the routing of patients for preventive activities were analyzed. Results. In the studied constituent entities of the Russian Federation, there was a decrease in the proportion of newly diagnosed cancers both in general and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most significant decrease (14.1%) was observed between 2019 and 2020 in the Sakhalin region. Analysis of healthcare-related regulatory acts of executive authorities of three constituent entities of the Russian Federation, regulating the organization of medical care to the adult population for cancer diseases in health-care organizations, showed their compliance with the Medical Care Procedure to the adult population for cancer diseases, and also revealed some defects hampering accurate statistical records of the revealed diseases. Conclusion. The suspension of routine medical care in the studied subjects of the Russian Federation in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the initial detection of malignant neoplasms. Copyright © L.YU. DROZDOVA, E.S. IVANOVA, V.A. EGOROV, YU.S. RAKOVSKAYA.