Background. The initial approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marked a milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The increased public debate about the vaccine development process and vaccine side effects has activated the anti-vaccine community, which has begun to spread conspiracy theories about vaccine safety. Objectives.Our study is the first to investigate the awareness of Polish patients suffering from various chronic diseases, mainly cancer, about vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. Materials and methods.An anonymous survey was made available from November 2020 to February 2021 to representatives of patient organizations through social media (Facebook) and to patients in the Chemotherapy Department of the Clinical Hospital in Poznań. The survey was completed by 836 patients. The majority of the survey respondents had cancer (77%, n = 644), and almost 1 / 5 of the respondents indicated hypertension (15.7%, n = 131) as well as depression and/or anxiety disorders (11. 1%, n = 93).Results. Less than half of the respondents (43.5%, n = 364) believed that SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were safe (40.4%, n = 260, among cancer patients; 53.9%, n = 104, among patients with other medical conditions). More than half of the respondents (60.5%, n = 506) intended to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 (58.8%, n = 378, among cancer patients; 66.3%, n = 128, among patients with other medical conditions). Fear of vaccine complications and lack of belief in vaccine effectiveness were prevalent among both cancer patients and patients with other medical conditions.Conclusions. The vast majority of cancer and medical patients wanted to be vaccinated against COVID-19. More than half of the respondents did not believe that the COVID-19 vaccine would be safe for them. Education of cancer and medical patients on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, as well as the use of additional protective measures against infection, is an extremely important element of prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESEARCH LETTER The use of CAM among cancer patients 83 Statistical analysis The analysis was carried out using the IBM SPSS Statistics 26 program (IBM Co., Armonk, New York, United States). The significance level was set at a P value of 0.05. The statistic values for the χ 2 test for data independence were calculated. The Cramer V coefficient was calculated to assess the strength of association. In order to detail the occurring relationships, the z test was used to compare the structure indices (percentage value). Bonferroni correction was applied. Results Characteristics of the surveyed group A total of 280 women (97.9%) and 6 men (2.1%) participated in the survey. The survey group mainly included young people, up to 50 years old (194 [67.9%]), followed by persons aged 51 to 65 years (81 [28.3%]). There were significantly fewer elderly people aged 66 to 75 years (9 [3.1%]) and older than 75 years (2 [0.7%]). The survey was mostly completed by patients with breast cancer (274 [95.8%]). Almost half of the patients received cancer therapy for less than a year (136 [47.6%]), and one -third for 2 to 3 years (95 [33.2%]). In the remaining participants, the treatment lasted at least 4 years (55 [19.2%]). The survey was mostly completed by patients with cancer in early stages, that is, without distant metastases: 76 (26.6%) in stage I, 116 (40.6%) in stage II, and 74 (25.9%) in stage III. Only 20 people (7%) had cancer in the stage of dissemination (stage IV). The vast majority of respondents underwent surgical treatment (234 [81.8%]). A total of 212 underwent chemotherapy (74.1%), 192 hormone therapy (67.1%), 173 radiotherapy (60.5%), and 20 immunotherapy (7%). Main analysis More than two -thirds of respondents (196 [68.5%]) were able to define an

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide and the fifth leading cause of cancer death. In 2020, there were 2.3 million new cases, and 685,000 women died from it. Breast cancer among young women under 40 years of age accounts for 5% to 10% of all cases of this cancer. The greater availability of multi-gene sequence analysis by next-generation sequencing has improved diagnosis and, consequently, the possibility of using appropriate therapeutic approaches in BRCA1/2 gene mutation carriers. Treatment of young breast cancer patients affects their reproductive potential by reducing ovarian reserve. It can lead to reversible or permanent premature menopause, decreased libido, and other symptoms of sex hormone deficiency. This requires that, in addition to oncological treatment, patients are offered genetic counseling, oncofertility, psychological assistance, and sexological counseling. Given the number of BRCA1/2 gene mutation carriers among young breast cancer patients, but also thanks to growing public awareness, among their healthy family members planning offspring, the possibility of benefiting from preimplantation testing and performing cancer-risk-reduction procedures: RRM (risk-reducing mastectomy) and RRSO (risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy) significantly increase the chance of a genetically burdened person living a healthy life and giving birth to a child not burdened by the parent’s germline mutation. The goal of this paper is to show methods and examples of fertility counselling for BRCA1/2 gene mutation carriers, including both patients already affected by cancer and healthy individuals.

Introduction. Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women in Poland and in the world, with a mortality rate second only to that of lung cancer. Breasts are one of the most important symbols of femininity and sexuality. Cancer surgery, but also systemic therapy (chemotherapy and hormone therapy) cause a change in the perception of one's body. The aim of the survey proposed by us was to assess interest in sex by breast cancer patients during and after oncological treatment, as well as to identify ways to improve the quality of patients' sex lives. Materials and methods. The proposed survey consisted of 3 parts: the first part included questions about the demographic, in the second part there were the author's questions about sexual dysfunction (12 questions), in the third part there was the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) form assessing the sexual functioning of women. The questionnaires were made available online from October 13, 2020 to December 20, 2020 through the social networks of patient organizations involved in breast cancer care. 287 women diagnosed with breast cancer were included in the survey. Results. Before the disease almost all patients were sexually active and had a partner (95.5%; n = 274); at the time of filling the questionnaire only slightly more than half of the patients remained sexually active ( 57.1%; n = 164). About 30.7% (n = 88) stated that the disease was the main reason for not being sexually active. More than 60% of patients (60.9%; n = 137) used products to improve the comfort of sexual intercourse, mainly lubricants (39.7%; n = 114). Only about 1 / 3 of the patients (32.1%; n = 92) were satisfied with their sex life, 48.1% (n = 138) stated they were not satisfied with their sex life, 19.9% (n = 57) did not answer this question. The main reasons for lack of satisfaction with sex life included: decreased libido (65.9%; n = 189), vaginal dryness (55.1%; n = 158). The mean score of forms filled out by the respondents was 24.50 in FSFI form. Conclusions. Assessment of sexual dysfunction in patients with breast cancer should be performed on a routine basis before treatment and regularly during treatment.

Introduction. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women -both in Poland and around the world. In terms of the mortality rate, it subsides brest cancer with lung cancer. In 2018, almost 2 million new cases were reported worldwide, and almost 44 million women have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last 5 years. Material. The aim of this paper is to present ways to improve the sexual well being of breast cancer patients. Methods. Analysis of the literature by oncologists, gynecologists, and psychologists was used for theoretical discussion. Results. Sexuality is an extremely important part of every woman's life, including those suffering from breast cancer. Surgery of the breast, a symbol of a woman's sexuality, and the negative effects of cancer therapy can alter a woman's perception of her own body and lower her libido. Sexual therapy which should be based on multi-faceted activities, is an extremely important part of breast cancer treatment. Conclusions. Therapeutic possibilities may be based on psychological and sexual therapies as well as pharmacological support (moisturizers, silicone lubricants, tampons inserted for several minutes with 4% vaginal lidocaine before intercourse, topical gels with estrogens, ospemifen, DHEA, testosterone).