Action plan set to be unveiled to help cancer patients in conflict zones

The Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have had a significant impact on cancer patients, emphasizing the need for global collaboration in response to these crises, writes Martin Banks.

Recognizing the need for a voice to address such challenges, the European Cancer Organization (ECO) has created a new “Focused Topic Network on Emergencies and Crises” so that the cancer community can “better anticipate and prepare for the urgent needs of cancer patients in emergency situations.”

The new network brings together participants from more than 150 organizations globally and is co-led by  Professor Mark Lawler, of Queen’s University Belfast and Professor Jacek Jassem, of the Medical University of Gdansk in Poland. 

The network will present its initial findings at a dedicated session at the European Cancer Summit in Brussels on Thursday (21 November).

The authors say that as wars continue to escalate globally, people with cancer face an ever-growing series of urgent challenge in conflict-affected regions, falling victim to the collateral damage of war on hospitals, on the healthcare supply chain and the massive displacement of patients that war creates.

Recognizing this, the network, in collaboration with the Institute for Cancer and Crisis in Armenia,  have produced a “Manifesto on Improving Cancer Care in Conflict-Impacted Populations” which sets out a 7-point plan and a Call to Action to deliver “immediate solutions” that address the needs of the millions of cancer patients worldwide displaced by the consequences of war.

The network calls for international collaboration to ensure delivery of  cancer services in acute humanitarian emergencies and in long-term conflict settings such as Ukraine and Palestine.

Its manifesto sets out seven key priorities to ensure cancer services are preserved during conflict, including that the Geneva Convention is fully respected in protecting medical personnel, in prohibiting attacks against medical units, and in preserving the rights of those diagnosed with cancer. 

A working group has been created through the World Health Organization (WHO) to implement the manifesto and monitor cancer care in conflict-affected populations.

Professor Lawler, Professor of Digital Health at Queen’s University Belfast,  Co-Chair of the new Network on Emergencies and Crises and co-author of the manifesto, is among 500 participants at this week’s cancer summit in central Brussels.

Speaking to this website from the event on Wednesday (20 November), he said that the current war in Ukraine, which marked its 1,000th day this week, has had a “devastating” impact in different ways. Many people, he said, were now struggling to access medicines and treatment as a result of the bitter conflict with Russia.

He said it had badly hit access to medical treatment for ordinary Ukrainians and health systems but had also impacted the country’s economic well-being.

He also said: “The barbaric attack on the Okhmatdyt Hospital, the largest children’s cancer treatment centre in Ukraine, emphasizes the enormous damage that war can wreak on cancer patients and cancer health systems. Our seven-point manifesto convenes the cancer community around a pragmatic plan for action. We will not waiver from supporting cancer patients in conflict-affected regions of the world. If we do not act as a matter of urgency, many more innocent victims will die.

“We cannot stand idly by – we must stand shoulder to shoulder with our cancer patients and our colleagues in conflict-affected regions like Ukraine and Palestine.

“We need to be proactive, not reactive. Implementing our Manifesto will allow us to deliver robust ‘on the ground’ solutions with the urgency required to make a real difference to  cancer patients trapped in conflict situations. Stop cancer patients being the unacceptable victims of conflict.”

Further comment comes from the manifesto’s co-author Maria Babak, a member of the Board  of the Institute of Cancer and Crisis in Armenia, who said: “The manifesto emphasizes the urgent need for international collaboration to develop and deliver specific cancer care services and solutions in acute humanitarian emergencies and protracted conflict settings. We also need  to deliver pragmatic research that improves our understanding of the needs of patients and provides the evidence required to deliver specific interventions effectively.”

Also commenting, Professor Jassem, said: ”As a resident of a country neighbouring Ukraine, these issues are very close to my heart. Oncology is a particular case because interruptions to care will have irreversible consequences. Everything must be done to preserve its continuity in all emergency areas. International organizations such as ECO have an essential role to play here. This is our moral obligation.”

Gilliosa Spurrier-Bernard,co-chair of ECO’s Patient Advocacy Committee and co-chair of ECO’s European Cancer Summit 2024, noted: “Patients suffer from the state of poly-crisis that our health communities endure from climate change, epidemics, conflict etc. Patient Organizations are keen to be at the centre of developing strategies and solutions to mitigate the impact of an unstable world on patients.”

The ECO is the largest multi-professional cancer organization in Europe. It works to reduce the burden of cancer, improve outcomes and the quality of care through a multi-disciplined and multi-professional approach.

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