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Cancer disparities in war-torn and post-war regions

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 20, pages 359–360 (2020)Cite this article

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A Publisher Correction to this article was published on 11 June 2020

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In conflict-affected areas, people experience significant challenges in health-care delivery, and this situation is even more extreme for patients with cancer. Until now, research on access to cancer treatment and care as well as cancer disparities in war-torn and post-war regions has been limited. Therefore, we advocate coordinated, global action to address this issue and implement evidence-based solutions.

In the developed world, millions of people are successfully treated for or cured of cancer; however, in many developing countries those chances of cure are extremely low1,2. A recent simulation-based analysis showed large variations in 5-year survival for childhood cancer dependent on the region, ranging from 8% in Eastern Africa to 83% in North America3. The situation is even worse for those in need of palliation and pain control. It is estimated that around 99.9% of patients with cancer who die in pain are in a low or middle-income region, and only 0.1% are in a high income one1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Union for International Cancer Control, Geneva, Switzerland

    Princess Dina Mired & Sonali Johnson

  2. Yerevan State Medical University, Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Yerevan, Armenia

    Gevorg Tamamyan

  3. Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Armenia, Hematology Center after Prof. R.H.Yeolyan, Yerevan, Armenia

    Gevorg Tamamyan

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  1. Princess Dina Mired
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  2. Sonali Johnson
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  3. Gevorg Tamamyan
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Correspondence to Gevorg Tamamyan.

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Mired, D., Johnson, S. & Tamamyan, G. Cancer disparities in war-torn and post-war regions. Nat Rev Cancer 20, 359–360 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-020-0274-x

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