Abstract:
Background:
Continuity of cancer care is essential for safe and effective treatment. However, maintaining continuous oncology services can be particularly challenging in resource-limited and crisis-affected settings. In Gaza, oncology patients and healthcare professionals face multiple barriers, including difficulties in accessing cancer services, interruptions and delays in treatment, limited availability of diagnostic and staging investigations, variable availability of anticancer medicines and supportive-care resources, and challenges related to referral and patient movement.
Keynote Focus:
This keynote will highlight the critical role of oncology nurses beyond the administration of chemotherapy, emphasizing their contribution to maintaining continuity, safety, and quality of cancer care. The presentation will address practical oncology nursing responsibilities, including patient assessment, treatment readiness and safety verification, recognition and management of treatment-related toxicities, symptom monitoring, patient and family education, communication, documentation, follow-up, and coordination of care.
Real-world oncology nursing service data from August 2026 will be presented to illustrate the workload and continuing demand for cancer services. During this month, 691 service cases were recorded across female and male inpatient departments and day-care units, including 297 chemotherapy-related cases. The same monthly records documented 24 new cases, 49 admissions, 45 discharges, and 5 deaths.
Conclusion:
The experience of oncology nursing in Gaza demonstrates that nurses play a central role in sustaining cancer care when healthcare systems operate under severe resource and operational constraints. Strengthening oncology nursing competencies, communication, clinical assessment, documentation, patient education, and coordination can contribute substantially to treatment continuity and patient safety. Lessons from Gaza may also provide practical insights for oncology services working in other resource-limited, humanitarian, and crisis-affected settings.
Keywords: Oncology Nursing; Cancer Care Continuity; Chemotherapy; Resource-Limited Settings; Gaza; Patient Safety; Cancer Care.
