The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on oncology healthcare services in Poland, with a reduction in the national breast cancer (BC) screening program coverage rates. This article analyzes the impact of the pandemic on BC stage at diagnosis in a regional cancer center in Poland. Records from BC multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings that took place in the years 2019–2021 were gathered. BC clinical staging was compared. Age-related subgroups were additionally analyzed to reflect possible screening program disruptions. The total number of BC cases fell by 8% in 2020 compared with 2019, with a 14% fall in the screening age group. In 2021, a stage shift was observed, with stage II BC becoming most frequently diagnosed (as opposed to stage I BC in 2019 and 2020). A statistically significant increase in the number of stage III BC cases was observed in 2021.

Background: Nutritional status is a recognized determinant of treatment tolerance and clinical outcomes in oncology. This study aimed to assess body composition using computed tomography (CT) and to evaluate its association with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) undergoing curative multimodal therapy. Methods: A total of 216 patients with LARC who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) were retrospectively assessed. Two radiochemotherapy protocols were used: long-course chemoradiotherapy (lcCRT) (radiation therapy administered daily at doses of 1.8 or 2.0 Gy, for a total dose of 50.4–55.8 Gy) with concurrent chemotherapy: either 5-FU with leucovorin or capecitabine and total neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (tnCRT)—short-course radiotherapy (5 × 5 Gy) followed by sequential chemotherapy with CAPOX or FOLFOX. Surgery was performed 6.5 weeks after completing CRT. Radiotherapy was delivered using linear accelerators based on the Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy technique. CT scans were used to assess nutritional status. Survival analyses were performed. Data on food consumption frequency were collected using the Dietary Habits and Nutrition Beliefs Questionnaire (KomPAN^®). Non-Healthy-Diet-Index-14 (nHDI-14) was calculated. Results: Median observation time was 58 months (range 4–118 months). VATI level and OS (HR: 0.4618 95% CI: 0.2194–0.9719, p = 0.0419), as well as SATI and OS (HR: 0.4707 95% CI: 0.2286–0.9693, p = 0.0409) were significantly associated. This association was not significant for PFS (VATI: HR: 0.7084 95% CI: 0.4055–1.2376, p = 0.2259; SATI: HR: 0.6864 95% CI: 0.3932–1.1981, p = 0.1855). SMI and PMI values were not significantly related either PFS (SMI-HR: 0.6728, 95% CI: 0.4031–1.1231, p = 0.1295; PMI-HR: 0.7385, 95% CI: 0.4628–1.1785, p = 0.2036) or OS (SMI-HR: 0.9128, 95% CI: 0.4703–1.7720, p = 0.7876; PMI-HR: 0.6592 95% CI: 0.3684–1.1794, p = 0.1603). No significant association was found between sarcopenia development and PFS (HR: 1.2733 CI: 0.7589–2.1363; p = 0.3602) or OS (HR: 1.1207; CI: 0.5681–2.2107; p = 0.7424). Significant differences between men and women in alcohol intake and nHDI-14 were observed. Conclusions: Low visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue index were significantly associated with worse OS in patients with LARC undergoing multimodal treatment. The nHDI-14 was negatively correlated with the duration of observation and patients’ age.

Background: This study performs an analysis of clinical and epidemiological characteristics of Ukrainian patients with breast cancer (BC) who presented to a regional cancer center in western Poland in 2022. Materials and methods: Date and country of BC diagnosis, age at diagnosis, age at first visit to the Greater Poland Cancer Centre (GPCC), and clinical staging were collected from hospital records. Multidisciplinary team (MDT) data for all BC cases reviewed at the GPCC in 2022 served as a comparison for the study population. Results: All 106 patients presented to the GPCC after the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022. The year of BC diagnosis ranged from 1993 to 2022. Median age at diagnosis was 47. The majority of cases were diagnosed (76%) and treated (76%) in Ukraine. Treatment at the GPCC was performed for 65% of cases — mostly continued oncological care for patients initially treated in Ukraine. Moreover, the majority of cases treated in Ukraine (55%) have received continued treatment at the GPCC. Cases with stage II BC were most numerous (36%), followed by stage IV BC (26%) and stage III BC (21%). Only 15% of cases were diagnosed with stage I BC and 1% with stage 0 BC. Conclusions: The study population was characterized by relatively young age at diagnosis and advanced disease when compared with MDT data. Cases initially treated in Ukraine that required continued oncological care constituted the majority of all cases treated at the GPCC. Keywords: breast cancer Ukraine refugees health services

Background: This study analyzes the impact of the first six lockdown months during the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer (BC) patients at a regional cancer center in western Poland (Greater Poland region). Materials and methods: Patient age, clinical stage, pathological stage, surgical management, and use of neoadjuvant therapy (NT) for patients diagnosed with BC during the pandemic (March–August 2020, n = 290) were compared with pre-COVID-19 data (March–August 2019, n = 405). Results: There were statistically significant differences in the average age (58.2 pre-COVID-19 vs. 55.9 during COVID-19, p = 0.014), clinical stage (p = 0.017) with a stage shift (stage I being dominant pre-pandemic, stage II during the pandemic). Additionally, when comparing the 2019 and 2020 groups, there were statistically significant differences in clinically node-positive cases (27% vs. 37%, p = 0.007), pathologically node-positive cases (26% vs. 34%, p = 0.014), and NT use (27% vs. 43%, p = 0.001). Moreover, there was a notable increase in the prevalence of mastectomies from 44% to 53% (p = 0.017) and axillary lymph node dissections from 27% to 33% (p = 0.029). Conclusions: The first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic had a discernible impact on BC patients in the Greater Poland region. Changes in patient age, clinical stage, pathological stage, and treatment approach were observed during this period. These findings underscore the importance of further research and adaptations in healthcare delivery to address the evolving needs of BC patients during times of crisis. Keywords: breast cancer COVID-19 neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Purpose: This study compares breast carcinoma (BC) clinical tumour staging by contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM), full-field digital mammography (FFDM), and ultrasound (US). Clinical staging is essential for multidisciplinary teams to develop optimal treatment plans and for cancer registries to generate accurate analyses of cancer epide­miology.Material and methods: Data on tumour size and the presence of multiplicity were extracted from radiology reports. Primary tumour staging (cT category) was established for each imaging modality. Enrolled cases (n = 78, adult females) had FFDM and US performed up to a month prior to CEM. Fisher’s exact test was used to examine the relationship between cT stage determination and diagnostic methods.Results: Tumour size was largest in CEM (median 47 mm), followed by FFDM (median 33 mm), and smallest in US (median 23 mm). There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of cT categories between the 3 imaging modalities, with cT2 and cT1 being most common in US (46% and 41%, respectively) and FFDM (53% and 19%, respectively). Staging by CEM followed a different pattern, with cT2 and cT3 being most common (both 38%). The multiplicity rate was equal for CEM and US (42%), with fewer cases in FFDM (13%).Conclusions: The tumour size measured by CEM is greater compared to measurements obtained through US and FFDM. Given the strong correlation between CEM and histopathology reported in the literature, CEM enhances the accuracy of local tumour staging in BC, thereby minimising the risk of understaging.