The field of cancer care is currently facing immense challenges in areas marked by armed conflict, political instability, and chronic fragility. As nearly a quarter of the global population lives in regions affected by these conditions, health systems are significantly disrupted, compounding the rising incidence of cancer, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The damage to hospitals, fractured supply chains, and accelerated health-worker flight lead to the rapid collapse of oncology services. Furthermore, displaced populations often remain outside national cancer registries, obscuring the true extent of the burden and hindering evidence-based planning. Despite these adversities, epidemiological transitions are occurring, with infection-related malignancies such as cervical and liver cancers persisting alongside the rise of lifestyle-associated cancers. There is a pressing need for targeted research and context-specific solutions to avoid exacerbating the survival disparity between stable and fragile settings.

This Research Topic aims to stimulate multidisciplinary evidence and interventions that ensure the continuous delivery of cancer care before, during, and after crises. The primary objectives include identifying structural bottlenecks that delay diagnosis, interrupt treatment, and undermine follow-up; showcasing innovative models like mobile clinics, tele-oncology, and task-shifting that function amid insecurity; generating policy insights regarding financing, insurance, and governance to fortify healthcare resilience; and highlighting community-driven and survivor-led strategies to improve equity, trust, and psychosocial support.

The research scope covers the contextual challenges and innovative approaches to strengthen cancer care delivery within conflict and fragile settings. Articles are encouraged on the following themes:

- Epidemiology and surveillance of cancer in conflict/fragile settings
- Rapid, low-cost diagnostics and point-of-care pathology
- Continuity solutions for surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and palliation
- Mobile health, telemedicine, and digital decision-support tools
- Task-shifting and workforce training for oncology and palliative care
- Community outreach, vaccination, and screening under resource constraints
- Psychosocial, rehabilitation, and survivorship care for displaced populations
- Financing models, humanitarian supply chains, and governance innovations

Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases, which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo), are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Cancer Care Strategies in Fragile and Conflict Zones