Cancer care in humanitarian settings is fragmented and underprioritized, urgently needing cross-border policy solutions. Oncology services are largely absent from emergency health planning, with responses focusing on other critical issues.
Displaced patients face interrupted records, legal uncertainty, delayed diagnosis, limited specialist access, and restricted availability of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Treatment is often delayed, interrupted, or never initiated.
Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine demonstrate how conflict destabilizes oncology delivery. Damaged infrastructure, workforce displacement, and supply chain disruptions undermine continuity of care.
Women, children, and older adults face the greatest barriers. Clinicians in crisis settings may be forced into difficult triage decisions.
Tele-oncology and cross-border agreements offer a path forward. Strategies include regional treatment agreements, humanitarian oncology corridors, and interoperable health records to preserve diagnosis and treatment planning.
Data and surveillance gaps limit progress. Without better registries and data sharing, displaced populations remain poorly represented in cancer control planning. Cancer care in humanitarian settings is a matter of dignity, justice, and global health equity.