Displaced Children With Cancer in Lebanon: A Sustained Response to an Unprecedented Crisis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The unrest in Syria has resulted in an escalating refugee crisis. The postwar lack of health care infrastructure in Iraq has also resulted in Iraqis seeking health care in neighboring countries. Pediatric cancer is largely curable, although its treatment is expensive and complex. Strategies to implement pediatric cancer care with curative intent in these vulnerable populations are lacking. METHODS: To assess the feasibility of a collaborative approach for the provision of care to displaced children with cancer, this study reviewed the experience of the authors over the past 6 years in Lebanon, the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. RESULTS: The American University of Beirut Medical Center and the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon Foundation, in partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, established 3 successive funding programs to treat displaced children with cancer along with a continuous assessment of resource utilization. Between 2011 and 2017, 575 non-Lebanese children suspected to have cancer were evaluated. Of those, 311 received direct medical support, with 107 receiving full-treatment coverage and 204 receiving limited-workup/specialty services; the remaining 264 patients received medical consultations. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to providing lifesaving humanitarian support, the coordination of care delivery, including the establishment of guidelines for prioritization, can help direct future efforts. Many patients continue to be in dire need of support, and this should be addressed via collaboration among governmental, nongovernmental, and health care organizations. (C) 2018 American Cancer Society.