Psychosocial Impact of the War in Ukraine on Pediatric Cancer Patients and Their Families Receiving Oncological Care Outside Their Country at the Onset of Hostilities

Psychosocial care of pediatric cancer patients and their families is as critical as the medical and surgical components of their therapies. Strains on family communication and structure and financial need are linked to poorer psychological outcomes for both patients and families. It is critical that children remain as connected as possible to their communities and extended families during therapy. For Ukrainian pediatric cancer patients receiving care outside of their nation & rsquo;s borders on February 24, 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine compounded these problems. Based on conversations with patients and parents, we evaluated the psychosocial impact of war on pediatric Ukrainian cancer patients and their families who had left their country before the onset of the conflict to undergo treatment of pediatric malignancies at our medical center. These families shared with us the problems they have experienced after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Their concerns can be summarized in 4 categories: (1) emotional stress experienced by the patients, families and relatives related to the dangers of war; (2) difficulties in obtaining previous hospital records in Ukraine; (3) medical expenses; and (4) uncertainty regarding the patient's and their family's future and the ability of the children to ever return to their homes. Psychosocial distress relating to the violence of war will hopefully pass in near future, but our pediatric patients and their families will continue to face stressors related to displacement and financial concerns for some time to come. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Society for Radiation Oncology. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Psychosocial care is crucial for pediatric cancer patients and their families. The strain on family communication, structure, and finances can lead to negative psychological outcomes. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated these problems for Ukrainian pediatric cancer patients who had left their country for medical treatment. Their concerns include emotional stress, difficulties obtaining medical records, financial expenses, and uncertainty about their future. Although the psychosocial distress related to the war may subside in the near future, the patients and their families will continue to face challenges related to displacement and financial burdens.