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Objective: To characterize the sociodemographic, economic, educational, healthcare, and social support services factors of children and adolescents with cancer and their families staying in temporary lodgings in eight cities in Colombia. Methodology: This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey-type approach. Forty-two surveys were administered to caregivers (all family members) of children under 18 years of age with a presumptive or confirmed cancer diagnosis. The survey consisted of 55 questions validated by a pilot test. Data collection was carried out between June and August 2023. Results: Thirteen temporary lodgings were identified. All families belonged to socioeconomic strata 1 and 2, and most of them spent over three hours traveling to the temporary lodging from their place of origin (97.6%); 85% reported incomes below the minimum wage, and 62% of the families received some form of government subsidy. A high percentage of the children (93%) were enrolled in the state-subsidized healthcare system; 71.4% received care in only one health institution, and most were referred to the temporary lodgings by the hospital (83.3%). The main reason for using these lodgings was a lack of accommodation in the city of treatment. Only one family discontinued treatment, and 71.4 % of the children were not attending school. Conclusion: The sociodemographic conditions of the families of children and adolescents with cancer who require temporary lodging services are characterized by limited financial resources and distant residences from cancer treatment centers. This situation poses challenges to treatment continuity and evidences the importance of the social support provided by temporary lodgings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The main challenge in cancer care during the Covid-19 pandemic was to ensure the timeliness of diagnosis and treatment of nearly 100,000 new cancer cases per year in Colombia. The objective of this research was to know the response of the Health Service Provider Institutions on their management of services for cancer care in the first semester of the year 2020. Methodology. Descriptive, cross-sectional, survey-type study on the characterization of cancer patients with Covid-19, installed capacity, comprehensive cancer care, telehealth/telemedicine implementation, and institutional support during the pandemic. Twenty-five providers with oncological surgery and chemotherapy or radiotherapy services participated. Results. Fifty-six percent of providers reported cancer patients with Covid-19. Everyone reported management changes in pandemic response capacity: 76% upgraded infrastructure and devices, 84% adopted telehealth/telemedicine and 92% received assistance in action plans. Forty-eight percent of the provider institutions showed a decrease in cancer screening. Discussion. This study shows that the emergency of the pandemic forced to rush the efforts of infrastructure and resources in the oncological entities of Colombia. The results obtained in the decrease of cancer screening nationally will be equated with the data reported by different countries, including the Americas region. Conclusion. The findings show the need to improve the response capacity of the health care system in health emergency scenarios to avoid delays in cancer care and public health actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]