Introduction: In 2019 the Health Care Development Strategy of Russian Federation for the period until 2025 was approved by Decree of the President of Russia dated 06.06.2019 No. 254. A research objective – to determine the status of medical care for cancer in Russia before the start of the Health Care Development Strategy. Materials and methods: FSN forms No. 7, No. 35. The number of the dead is presented according to Rosstat. Results and discussion: The analysis of the results of the activities of medical organizations in the active detection, timely diagnosis and treatment of malignant new growths shows that it has not yet been possible to change the situation significantly. The overfulfillment of the quality indicators of the work of the healthcare system as a whole did not lead to the fulfillment of the main indicator – «mortality from new growths». FSN form No. 7 «Information of malignant new growths» does not allow calculating the prevalence of malignant new growths (MNG) based on the population size, as there are cases of MNG, but not persons suffering from MNG. The incidence rates calculated for the cases are somewhat overestimated, since it is impossible to remove persons with registered multiple localizations of MNG from the total number of cases of MNG. The diagnosis of MNG (ICD-10 code – С00-С97) is practically lifelong for patients; it does not change to the diagnosis «in the personal history of MNG» (ICD-10 code – Z85) after completion of radical treatment with a good result when there are no clinical signs of MNG. There is an overestimation of the «mortality from MNG» indicator, as among patients registered as dead from MNG, people aged 65 years and older predominate (in 2018 – 59,3%), and the diagnosis is established on the basis of path-anatomical research in less than half of the deceased registered as deceased from MNG (48,0%). Subsequently, without performing an autopsy, local therapists, emergency doctors at the elderly determine the cause of death from MNG only that an oncologist observes the patient. In medical oncological organizations there are no dispensary observation groups of contingents where people who had a clinical cure from MNG, who had ended radical treatment, who had no signs of MNG, could have been observed for term of life (in the personal history of MNG). All persons are observed as patients suffering from MNG, while only 8,7% of those registered receive treatment (2018). Conclusions: The epidemiological situation of new growths s in Russia does not tend to improve. It is necessary to change approaches to the organization of medical care for oncology diseases for the population.