Title : Cancer care in conflict affected regions: A scoping review of service delivery challenges, healthcare system adaptations and policy implications
Abstract:
This scoping review search of five databases (Scopus, PubMed/Medline, ScienceDirect, and Cinahl) was conducted for original peer reviewed studies published between January 2020 and August 2025. The search focused on the effect of wars on cancer service delivery in conflict zones, and its impact on cancer care. Armed conflicts across multiple settings resulted in widespread destruction of cancer care infrastructure, severely limiting diagnostic and therapeutic capacity. Hospitals become unsafe, and essential services like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery are often interrupted. Limited access to medications (chemotherapy/radiotherapy), blood products, and stem cell donations, while sanctions and logistical barriers hinder the transport of critical resources. Wars in the conflicted countries, like in Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, lead to a lack of specialized cancer care centers, high costs, in addition to a shortage in diagnostic services and a lack of technicians/radiologists. Losing medical records further hinders continuity of care. Although humanitarian aid may provide temporary relief, sustainable solutions require peace and global commitment, grounded in equity and the fundamental right to health.
In conclusion, conflicts cause infrastructure destruction, healthcare workforce depletion and migration, barriers and delays in treatment access, drug supply chain disruptions, and psychosocial and economic impacts, which in turn create policy and governance challenges and oblige healthcare systems to adapt and build resilience.
Keywords: Cancer Care, Conflict, Policy Implication, Scoping Review, Healthcare System
