Determining trends in the epidemiological process and quality of medical care for breast cancer

The analysis of primary breast cancer incidence among women in the Irkutsk region for 2011–2023 and mortality from it was conducted based on general indicators and by age groups for women under 50 and over 50 years old to clarify the epidemiological situation and trends of ongoing processes. The primary breast cancer incidence continues to grow in the region: «rough» indicators – by 1.4 and standardized indicators – by 1.2 times. The increase in breast cancer incidence is also demonstrated in two large age groups with a greater increase in women under 50 – 1.8 versus 1.3 times in women over 50. The mortality rate of women from breast cancer in these age groups has a multidirectional trend: up to 50 years of age, an increase of 9% was registered; over 50 years of age – an insignificant decrease of 8.3%. In contrast to the all-Russian trend towards a decrease in mortality in 2011–2023, in the Irkutsk region the overall mortality rate from breast cancer did not change in relative terms and decreased insignificantly by 17.0% in standardized terms. In contrast to the all-Russian trend towards a decrease in mortality in 2011–2023, in the Irkutsk region the overall mortality rate from breast cancer did not change according to «rough» indicators and decreased insignificantly by 17.0% according to standardized ones. In women in the region, cancer is most often diagnosed in the upper quadrants, the central part of the breast, as well as cancer that extends beyond one or more localizations C50.0–C50.6 according to ICD-10. All indicators of the quality of oncological care for women with breast cancer improved in the Irkutsk region during the study period. Moreover, in 2023, two quality indicators were higher than the all-Russian values: 48.6% of patients with breast cancer were actively identified (44.0% in the Russian Federation) and in almost 100% of cases, diagnoses were confirmed morphologically (99.8% versus 99.2% in the Russian Federation). Achieving the all-Russian level for all indicators of the quality of oncological care will make it possible to reverse the situation with regard to mortality and achieve optimal results in improving the quality of life of women with breast cancer. Key words: breast cancer, trends, primary morbidity, mortality, neglect, one-year mortality, quality of medical care.