Can Radiation Therapy Services Survive in Conflict-Affected Regions?

Abstract

War and armed conflict profoundly disrupt cancer care systems, with radiation therapy services among the most severely affected due to their static geography, reliance on stable infrastructure, specialized equipment, and a highly trained multidisciplinary workforce. Drawing on intercontinental narratives shared by clinicians and medical physicists from Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, and Ukraine, this work synthesizes frontline experiences of delivering radiation therapy amid instability, displacement, and resource collapse. Beyond documenting challenges, the manuscript articulates a collective call to action for the global radiation oncology community, outlining priority areas for intervention, including education, workforce development, technology support, research, and advocacy, and proposing practical, ethically grounded pathways for translating awareness into sustained, collaborative resilience planning. Cancer care in conflict settings is framed not as a peripheral humanitarian concern, but as a central issue of patient safety, equity, and professional responsibility, central to today's new challenges.