Introduction. An increase in head and neck cancers has been observed. Recent ndings show an association between those cancers and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. It is known that HPV infections lead to oral cancers, especially among adolescents. Material and methods. An author-delivered questionnaire was carried out among 774 high school students. The survey covered questions about epidemiology, lifestyle, dental behavior, and oral cancer prevention and risk factors. Results. 29.1% of students smoke or vape. 34.9% of respondents think that HPV infections can cause oral cancer. It is believed that transmission occurs through sexual activity (72.2%), vertical (47.5%), horizontal (23.8%), and auto-transmission (14.6%). 20.4% of interviewees noticed changes in their oral mucosa and 20.0% perform mouth self-examination. Conclusions. Students do not have adequate knowledge of oral cancer. Smoking and drinking are still at a high level. The lack of knowledge prevailed in technical schools. Participants attending classes with an advanced curriculum in science had better lifestyle habits than others. There is a need to improve head and neck cancers education and awareness among youth attending technical schools and schools with non-scienti c curriculums.

Introduction: Early detection of cervical cancer is a matter of great importance as the prognosis depends on the stage of the disease. The objective of the study consisted in the assessment of the impact of HPV self-sampling on the efficacy of populational screening programs aimed at early CC detection. Methods: The analysis was performed taking into account the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines for systematic reviews. The analyzed articles were searched for in the following databases: Medline (PubMed), Embase (Ovid), and Cochrane Library. Results: From a total of 60 citations, 16 studies were included in this review. The HPV test is highly sensitive and specific although the diagnostic accuracy of tests carried out in self-collected samples is slightly lower than that of tests carried out in samples collected by clinicians. The results of meta-analyses for HPV tests performed on self-collected samples indicate that the sensitivity for detecting CIN2+ ranges from 74% to 86% (depending on the publication and the analyzed population), and for CIN3+ from 75% to 86%. One publication showed a clearly lower sensitivity of 42% in detecting CIN3+, but the result is for a high-risk population and comes from only 1 RCT. The specificity of the assay exceeds 80% and 79.5% with regard to the detection of CIN2+ and CIN3+, respectively. As shown by the studies included in the review, both the offering of HPV self-sampling kits to patients and the mailing of such kits significantly increase the uptake of and participation in cervical cancer screening programs. In addition, self-sampling was found to be acceptable by the female subjects. Conclusions: HPV self-sampling is an innovative and cost-effective way to perform screening tests. In addition, self-sampling significantly increases the willingness to participate in screening programs among female subjects.

Introduction: Patient safety in long-term care is becoming an increasingly popular subject in the scientific literature. Organizational problems such as shortages of medical staff, insufficient numbers of facilities or underfunding increase the risk of adverse events, and aging populations in many countries suggests that these problems will become more and more serious with each passing year. The objective of the study is to identify interventions that can contribute to increasing patient safety in long-term care facilities. Method: A systematic review of secondary studies was conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. Searches were conducted in Medline (via PubMed), Embase (via OVID) and Cochrane Library. The quality of the included studies was assessed using AMSTAR2. Results: Ultimately, 10 studies were included in the analysis. They concerned three main areas: promoting safety culture, reducing the level of occupational stress and burnout, and increasing the safety of medication use. Promising methods that have an impact on increasing patient safety include: preventing occupational burnout of medical staff, e.g., by using mindfulness-based interventions; preventing incidents resulting from improper administration of medications, e.g., by using structured methods of patient transfer; and the use of information technology that is more effective than the classic (paper) method or preventing nosocomial infections, e.g., through programs to improve the quality of care in institutions and the implementation of an effective infection control system. Conclusions: Taking into account the scientific evidence found and the guidelines of institutions dealing with patient safety, it is necessary for each long-term care facility to individually implement interventions aimed at continuous improvement of the quality of care and patient safety culture at the level of medical staff and management staff.

Introduction: The colorectal cancer prognosis depends on the stage of the neoplasm; therefore, its early detection plays an important role. The aim of the study is evaluation of the sensitivity, specificity, and clinical effectiveness of the faecal immunochemical test in the early colorectal cancer detection. Methods: The clinical analysis was based on the results of the studies included in a systematic review conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. The following medical information sources were searched: Medline (via PubMed), Embase (via Ovid), The Cochrane Library. Results: From 241 citations, 13 studies were included in this review. All included studies had a low risk of bias. The faecal immunochemical test is highly specific in all analysed populations ranging from 85% to 97%. In most of the found studies, sensitivity is over 75%. The faecal immunochemical test screening also determines a reduction in death (10–59%) due to colorectal cancer. Conclusions: The faecal immunochemical test is an effective and cost-effective method of conducting population-wide colorectal cancer screening. It is an alternative or complementary to other screening tests, including colonoscopy.

Both the measurement of the dose and the measurement of its distribution, like any other measurements, are subject to measurement uncertainties. These uncertainties affect all dose calculations and dose distributions in a patient’s body during treatment planning in radiotherapy. Measurement uncertainty is not a medical physicist’s error, but an inevitable element of their work. Planning the dose distribution in a patient’s body, we often try to reduce it in the volume of critical organs (OaR - Organ at Risk) or increase the minimum dose in the PTV region by a few percent. It is believed that the measurement uncertainty should be taken into account in these calculations at the stage of treatment planning. The paper presents the method of calculating the measurement uncertainty for different physical quantities in radiotherapy as percentage depth dose, profile function and output factor, due to the fact that these quantities have a particular impact on the calculated dose distributions in a patient’s body. The uncertainties that must be taken into account in planning treatment the planned dose per fraction and real in PTV, maybe different up to 4%.

Introduction. Medical physicists planning radiation treatment are increasingly confronted with situations that require special attention. Undoubtedly, one such situation is the postoperative irradiation of a patient with breast cancer in which there is a prosthesis or an expander. In recent years, expanders have appeared in this location, which, due to the density of the device's valve makes it difficult to prepare an acceptable treatment plan. The study aims to present treatment planning in these situation in various Polish cancer centres and to compare overall patient preparation for the treatment. Material and methods. A questionnaire was prepared and sent to more than 20 radiotherapy departments, which included basic questions regarding the preparation of an irradiation plan for patients treated for breast cancer after a subcutaneous mastectomy with immediate reconstruction with a prosthesis or expander. The survey encompassed eight radiotherapy departments. Results. Not all radiotherapy departments require a manufacturer's certificate, which shows that the manufacturer does not prohibit the use of a prosthesis/expander during treatment with ionizing radiation. The X 6MV photons and the supine position, total and fraction doses: from 40 to 60 Gy and from 2 to 2.67 Gy, respectively, are the most commonly used. The way of defining them also depends on the oncological centre. The most commonly used irradiation technique is VMAT. Conclusion.The conclusion from the questionnaire -no standardisation of treatment planning -should encourage the community, at least medical physicists, to develop rules of conduct in this case. Irradiation techniques are mainly dynamic ones. The expander or prosthesis does not significantly affect the dose distributions.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cause of death, due to malignant neoplasms in women worldwide. The nature of the symptoms associated with breast cancer depends on the stage of the disease. In this case, any cancerous changes in the initial phase of the disease can only be detected during imaging tests. Participation in mammography screening can reduce breast cancer mortality by up to 40%, if only 70% of the eligible population participates in preventive programs. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of accessibility to health care resources on breast cancer mortality. Methods: Eurostat aggregated health care data was extracted. Hierarchical cluster analysis of average breast cancer mortality identified four groups of countries with similar mortality rates and trends. The data was then analyzed, in terms of access to health care. Results: It was observed that the higher the financial expenditure on health care and the better the health care accessibility, the lower the mortality rates of breast cancer. Conclusions: There are examples indicating that the studied elements are not the only factors affecting the improvement of population health. The authors would like to emphasize the need to influence lifestyle factors, direct cancer risk, and introduce a multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer prevention.

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