Esophageal cancer in Aleppo, Syria 2010–2020: a rare cancer in a war zone

The management of diseases such as cancer in developing countries are often suboptimal given a lack of resources and access to specialists and therapeutics. In March 2020, Syria descended into its ninth year of the war with a rising death toll and millions of Syrian refugees. Aside from the inherent dangers of war, cancer care during war is especially difficult with partially or non-functional infrastructure due to destruction, inconsistent electrical power, inaccessibility, or the inherent dangers of living in a war zone. Furthermore, limitations to therapeutics are exacerbated when supply chains responsible for bringing in essential medications such as chemotherapeutics are disrupted by international economic sanctions. Aleppo, Syria is the site of some of the fiercest fighting which ended in December 2016. Since then, Aleppo has made a slow recovery to rebuild its infrastructure while the war continues elsewhere in the country. In this article, we aim to highlight the challenges in the management of cancer, particularly esophageal cancer, during a time of war in Aleppo, Syria. We aim to discuss current challenges and limitations to care in a war zone. We will also touch upon areas of need for continued improvement in the care of cancer patient’s in Aleppo, Syria.