Abstract
<jats:p>Introduction. Currently, optimizing the organization of oncological care for patients with rectal cancer (RC) remains a pressing issue. Aim. To analyze the clinical and organizational challenges of providing oncological care to patients with RC. Materials and methods. A single-center retrospective study was conducted. Data of 302 electronic medical records of patients diagnosed with RC were analyzed, who underwent treatment for the underlying disease in the inpatient department of the Yaroslavl Regional Clinical Oncology Hospital in 2017–2018. Statistical processing was performed using parametric and nonparametric criteria. Results and Discussion. Extensive-stage RC detection rate was 42.1% in the sample. At the time of the rectal neoplasia detection, 35 (11.6%) patients had distant hematogenous metastases. Of them, the majority, 20 (6.6%), were localized in the liver. On average, the outpatient stage for cancer patients before their admission to a specialized hospital lasted 41 (37; 43) days. Overall survival in the entire sample of patients was 2140 (933; 2523) days. Only stage 4 patients (p <0.05) had significant differences from the rest in overall survival. The main weaknesses of the system providing specialized medical care to cancer patients with rectal neoplasms are primary care physicians’ low awareness of the correct routing of patients, a high percentage of late rectal cancer diagnosis, low active detection rates, and high mortality rates within the first year of life after the diagnosis verification. Conclusions. Analysis of the clinical material confirmed the challenges of providing oncological care to patients with rectal cancer available in the literature and outlined the key areas for improving the situation.</jats:p>