Publications by authors named "Luciana Neamtiu"

Background: Breast cancer clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) offer evidence-based recommendations to improve quality of healthcare for patients. Suboptimal compliance with breast cancer guideline recommendations remains frequent, and has been associated with a decreased survival. The aim of this systematic review was to characterize and determine the impact of available interventions to support healthcare providers' compliance with CPGs recommendations in breast cancer healthcare.

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An updated European Network of Cancer registries (ENCR) Recommendations on Recording and Reporting of Urothelial Tumours of the Urinary Tract had been published in 2022. After the publication by the ENCR of the "Recommendations for coding bladder cancers" in 1995, knowledge about the biology and pathology of urinary tract tumors and their classification has varied and increased substantially. On the other hand, several studies have shown that cancer registries use different definitions, criteria for inclusion and coding of urothelial tumors.

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Background And Objectives: Our objective was to develop an extension of the widely used GIN-McMaster Guideline Development Checklist and Tool for the integration of quality assurance and improvement (QAI) schemes with guideline development.

Methods: We used a mixed-methods approach incorporating evidence from a systematic review, an expert workshop and a survey of experts to iteratively create an extension of the checklist for QAI through three rounds of feedback. As a part of this process, we also refined criteria of a good guideline-based quality indicator.

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Clinicians, patients, policy makers, funders, programme managers, regulators, and science communities invest considerable amounts of time and energy in influencing or making decisions at various levels, using systematic reviews, health technology assessments, guideline recommendations, coverage decisions, selection of essential medicines and diagnostics, quality assurance and improvement schemes, and policy and evidence briefs. The criteria and methods that these actors use in their work differ (eg, the role economic analysis has in decision making), but these methods frequently overlap and exist together. Under the aegis of WHO, we have brought together representatives of different areas to reconcile how the evidence that influences decisions is used across multiple health system decision levels.

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Background: Population-based cancer registries are a critical reference source for the surveillance and control of cancer. Cancer registries work extensively with the internationally recognised TNM classification system used to stage solid tumours, but the system is complex and compounded by the different TNM editions in concurrent use. TNM ontologies exist but the design requirements are different for the needs of the clinical and cancer-registry domains.

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Background: The coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic posed a number of challenges to the oncology community, particularly the diagnosis and care of cancer patients while ensuring safety from the virus for both patients and professionals: minimization of visits to the hospital, cancellation of the screening programmes and the difficulties in the management and operation of cancer registries (CRs) while working remotely. This article describes the effects in the medium term of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer registration in Europe, focusing on changes in cancer detection and treatment, possible reduction of CR resources and difficulties in the access to data sources.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed in June 2020 to the directors of 108 CRs from 34 countries affiliated to the European Network of Cancer Registries, providing a 37% response rate.

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Introduction: Europe is an important focus for compiling accurate and up-to-date world cancer statistics owing to its large share of the world's total cancer burden. This article presents incidence and mortality estimates for 25 major cancers across 40 individual countries within European areas and the European Union (EU-27) for the year 2020.

Methods: The estimated national incidence and mortality rates are based on statistical methodology previously applied and verified using the most recently collected incidence data from 151 population-based cancer registries, mortality data and 2020 population estimates.

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Background: Although quality indicators are frequently derived from guidelines, there is a substantial gap in collaboration between the corresponding parties. To optimise workflow, guideline recommendations and quality assurance should be aligned methodologically and practically. Learning from the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC), our objective was to bring the key knowledge and most important considerations from both worlds together to inform European Commission future initiatives.

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Background: In 2017, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) started developing a methodological framework for a guideline-based quality assurance (QA) scheme to improve cancer quality of care. During the first phase of the work, inconsistency emerged about the use of terminology for the definition, the conceptual underpinnings and the way QA relates to health questions that are answered in guidelines. The objective of this final of three articles is to propose a conceptual framework for an integrated approach to guideline and QA development and clarify terms and definitions for key elements.

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Background: Population-based cancer registries constitute an important information source in cancer epidemiology. Studies collating and comparing data across regional and national boundaries have proved important for deploying and evaluating effective cancer-control strategies. A critical aspect in correctly comparing cancer indicators across regional and national boundaries lies in ensuring a good and harmonised level of data quality, which is a primary motivator for a centralised collection of pseudonymised data.

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Background: Breast cancer (BC) clinical guidelines offer evidence-based recommendations to improve quality of healthcare for patients with or at risk of BC. Suboptimal adherence to recommendations has the potential to negatively affect population health. However, no study has systematically reviewed the impact of BC guideline adherence -as prognosis factor- on BC healthcare processes and health outcomes.

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Background: Few studies have estimated the probability of being cured for cancer patients. This study aims to estimate population-based indicators of cancer cure in Europe by type, sex, age and period.

Methods: 7.

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Purpose: Clinical guidelines' (CGs) adherence supports high-quality care. However, healthcare providers do not always comply with CGs recommendations. This systematic literature review aims to assess the extent of healthcare providers' adherence to breast cancer CGs in Europe and to identify the factors that impact on healthcare providers' adherence.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Women's preferences are key in shaping breast cancer screening guidelines, especially given the mixed views on its benefits versus harms.
  • - A systematic review of 22 studies revealed that women are willing to endure the mental and physical challenges of screening for the chance of an earlier diagnosis, despite risks of overdiagnosis and false positives.
  • - There is a significant emphasis on the need for quicker testing and better communication since the delay in getting results is a major source of anxiety for women, highlighting that while they value early diagnosis, understanding the risks like overdiagnosis remains a concern.
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International guidelines recommend assessing women's satisfaction with breast cancer screening programmes; however, validated tools are needed. A systematic review to identify and evaluate the quality of validated instruments for screening satisfaction, from 01/1965 until 11/2017 was performed. From 3283 individual citations, six instruments were identified.

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Background: Women treated for breast cancer are followed-up for monitoring of treatment effectiveness and for detecting recurrences at an early stage. The type of follow-up received may affect women's reassurance and impact on their quality of life. Anxiety and depression among women with breast cancer has been described, but little is known about how the intensity of the follow-up can affect women's psychological status.

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The evolution of the cutaneous structure after topical treatment with P63 antiaging complex, assessed with high frequency ultrasound, is studied by means of multicriteria optimization model. Due to the fact that the impact of the treatment may influence the quality of life, a medical index which measures, from this point of view, the efficacy of the treatment is given, also taking into account medical and economical aspects.

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Like in every type of cancer, in skin cancer the efficiency of the medical treatment is very important. In the present paper, a Bayesian model for the management of this disease is given, and a medical index to measure the effectiveness of treatment from medical, economical, and quality of life point of view is presented, taking into account some of the patients characteristics.

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Following the 2003 Recommendation of the Council of the European Union on cancer screening, equal access to organised cervical cancer screening is supposed to be ensured for all women at risk in all member states. However, the first IARC report on the implementation of the Council Recommendation suggests that a remarkable proportion of women in the new member states are not yet covered with the free Pap tests offered either in organised or opportunistic manners. Cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in most of these countries are among the highest in Europe.

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