Abstract
Background. Breast cancer ranks first among malignant neoplasms in women worldwide and remains the leading cause of cancer mortality. International studies indicate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and war on the functioning of oncology services worldwide, prompting a search for ways to restore basic oncology service packages.
Objective: To study the dynamics of epidemiological indicators of breast cancer in Ukraine, taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and full-scale military invasion.
Methods. The study uses methods of a systematic approach, structural-logical analysis, and evaluation of dynamic series indicators.
Results. Breast cancer incidence rates for 2015-2021 tended to increase in 2015-2018 and in 2021, and to decrease in 2019-2020, in Ukraine as a whole and in most of its regions. In Lviv region, the increase in the incidence of ВС in 2021 compared to 2015 was 1.9%. Mortality rates among women due to BC in Ukraine from 2015 to 2021 showed a clear trend of annual decline (in 2021, the mortality rate among women in Ukraine due to BC decreased by 15.89% compared to 2015). In Lviv region in 2021, the mortality rate from ВС was 21.88% lower than in 2015. In Ukraine, mortality within one year of diagnosis of ВС tended to decline from 9.70% in 2015 to 6.70% in 2023, which represented a growth rate of -30.93%. In Lviv region, an increase in the share of women with ВС who died within a year was observed in 2021, 2022, and 2023 (+5.56%, +10.53%, and +7.94%, respectively). The results of the analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on the dynamics of the absolute number of women with breast cancer who have been diagnosed and died show a significant increase in the number of detected breast cancer cases in 2021 (+10.21%) and in 2023 (+16.30%). This indicates limited access to diagnostic, preventive, and specialized oncological care for the female population both during the COVID-19 pandemic and due to reduced access to oncological care during the war.
Conclusions. The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war justifies the need to develop methods for optimizing cancer care in Ukraine (including for breast cancer), taking into account work in extreme conditions and states of emergency.