Restoring health and hope to displaced Gaza children with malignant disease at a cancer centre in Jordan.

Background: Gaza children with cancer have faced critical delays in diagnosis and treatment due to the conflict, leading to late-stage presentation.

Aim: To assess the impact of disruptions on treatment outcome for Gaza children with cancer treated at King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman, Jordan.

Methods: We collected and analysed data from Gaza children aged 0-21 years with malignant disease, who were evacuated and received treatment at King Hussein Cancer Center between October 2023 and October 2024. We used the Kaplan-Meier survival estimates to analyse their overall survival rate.

Results: Fifty-one Gaza children received treatment for cancer at the centre during the study period; median age 8.2 years, 66.7% male. Of the cases, 25.5% were newly diagnosed, 11.8% were relapsed and 62.7% had been previously treated in Gaza; 39.2% had leukaemia and 21.6% had solid tumours. Their referral had been delayed by 3-4 months, and at presentation, 51% exhibited psychological distress and 27.5% were underweight. After 4 months of follow-up, 96% survived.

Conclusion: Most of the children experienced delays in diagnosis, referral and treatment and these impacted their treatment outcomes. Well-coordinated strategies such as streamlined referral systems, cross-border collaborations and timely medical evacuations through protected humanitarian corridors are crucial to provide life-saving care for paediatric cancer patients in Gaza and similar conflict zones.