Breast and cervical cancer screening practices in nine countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia: A population-based survey.

BACKGROUND: Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) countries have higher cervical and breast cancer mortality rates and later stage at diagnosis compared with the rest of WHO European Region. The aim was to explore current early detection practices including "dispensarization" for breast and cervix cancer in the region. METHODS: A questionnaire survey on early detection practices for breast and cervix cancer was sent to collaborators in 11 countries, differentiating services in the primary health setting, and population-based programs. Responses were received from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation (Arkhangelsk, Samara and Tomsk regions), Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. RESULTS: All countries but Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and the Russian Federation had opportunistic screening by clinical breast exam within "dispensarization" program. Mammography screening programs, commonly starting from age 40, were introduced or piloted in eight of nine countries, organized at national oncology or screening centres in Armenia, Belarus and Georgia, and within primary care in others. Six countries had "dispensarization" program for cervix cancer, mostly starting from the age 18, with smears stained either by Romanowsky-Giemsa alone (Belarus, Tajikistan and Ukraine), or alternating with Papanicolaou (Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation). In parallel, screening programs using Papanicolaou or HPV test were introduced in seven countries and organized within primary care. CONCLUSION: Our study documents that parallel screening systems for both breast and cervix cancers, as well as departures from evidence-based practices are widespread across the EECA. Within the framework of the WHO Initiatives, existing opportunistic screening should be replaced by population-based programs that include quality assurance and control.

Study on Breast Cancer in Kazakhstan Using the Functional Time Series.

AIM: In Kazakhstan and Central Asia, breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy among women. However, no large-scale study on breast cancer using the functional time series approach has been carried out in Kazakhstan. METHODS: A functional assessment of the age-period-cohort model (APC) and the survival rate (period 2017-2021) was used in the retrospective study. Clinical and demographic information on patients was analysed, including age, gender, region of residence, kind and stage of tumour, occupation, socioeconomic standing, nationality, and specifics of treatment and its outcomes. Additionally, the relationship between nationality, stage, and residency region and the survival rate of breast cancer patients was investigated too. RESULTS: The data of n=22,736 breast cancer patients were analysed. The highest number of breast cancer cases reported was 4,945 (21.7%), in 2019. In 2021, n =4,939 (21.7%) cases were detected, while in 2020, n=4,222 (18.6%) cases were observed. The patients with breast cancer in stages I and Ia were recognized in 6,585 (29% of cases), while those in stages Ib and Ic were confirmed in 8687 (38.2% of cases). In n=10,147 (44.6%) cases, a malignant tumour of the upper outer quadrant of the breast (C50.4) was predominant. Kazakhs made up the majority (n=10,939, 48.1%) of patients with a primary validated diagnosis of breast cancer, followed by Russians (n=7527, 33.1%). Germans had the lowest survival rate overall (11.4 ± 1.7 months) (p ≤ 0.05) (95% CI: 8.0-14.7 months). Uzbeks showed relatively high survival rates of 18.3 ± 1.6 months (95% CI: 15.1-21.5 months) (p ≤ 0.05). The Aktobe region had the lowest breast cancer survival rates, measuring 12.1±0.9 months (95% CI: 10.3-13.9 months) (p ≤ 0.05). The highest survival rates, 18.0±1.3 months (95% CI: 15.5-20.5 months) and 17.9±1.4 months (95% CI: 15.3-20.7 months), were seen in Shymkent and Zhambyl regions (p ≤ 0.05), respectively. The prevalence of breast cancer increases after 37.5 years, according to the results of the APC analysis, with an indicator of 0.572 (95% CI: -0.41 - 1.56), maintaining a steady upward trend in the age range from 42.5 years to 62.5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a slight drop in the disease's frequency, the incidence of breast cancer in women 37.5 years and older has been stable over the past five years. Additionally, it was shown that the country's northern regions had a higher incidence of breast cancer cases than the southern and western regions. Our results show the significance of demographic characteristics such as age and location for the development of preventive measures and effective treatment.

Mutational Damages in Malignant Lung Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Today, genomic changes are an important cause of the occurrence, growth and progression of cancer. Technological advances in cancer genomic analysis platforms have made it possible to identify genomic alterations that may influence response to lung cancer treatment. METHODS: The study examined tumor growth-inhibiting oncogenes and genes responsible for cell growth and division to identify mutations characteristic of malignant lung tumors. The mutations were studied in 400 postoperative samples after amplifying p53 and HRAS fragments and p53, p21Waf1, MDM2 mRNA. p53 or p21Waf1 were expressed in 50% of squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the lung. RESULTS: The study examined tumor growth-inhibiting oncogenes and genes responsible for cell growth and division to identify mutations characteristic of malignant lung tumors. The mutations were studied in 400 postoperative samples after amplifying p53 and HRAS fragments and p53, p21Waf1, MDM2 mRNA. p53 or p21Waf1 were expressed in 50% of squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the lung. HRAS mutations were present in most squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the lung. EcoR1- and Pst1- restriction enzymes destroyed the RT-PCR product of the p53 and p21Waf1 mRNA and increased the level of detected mutations in lung adenocarcinoma to 75% and 50 %, respectively. EGFR mutations were more frequent in lung adenocarcinoma than in lung squamous cell carcinoma. Mutations in EGFR exons 19 and 21 found in 65 of 263 lung tumor samples indicated the tumor sensitivity to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. EGFR deletions in exon 19 occurred mainly in adenocarcinoma, L858R mutations in EGFR exon 21 were quite common in lung adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: The mutations detected in most squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the lung could be used to diagnose and predict the disease severity and targeted therapy efficacy.