{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]],"date-time":"2026-05-12T14:17:25Z","timestamp":1778595445625,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":79,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]],"date-time":"2026-05-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778544000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diseases"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Cancer patterns in low-resource and crisis-affected settings are poorly characterized, particularly among socioeconomically vulnerable populations. This study aimed to describe cancer distribution, age at diagnosis, and barriers to care among patients presenting to a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Tripoli, Lebanon. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with histopathologically confirmed cancers presenting to a single NGO. Sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral data were extracted from medical records. Socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed using a validated composite scale. Age-standardized proportions (ASPs) were calculated using GLOBOCAN and WHO standard weights. Barriers to care were categorized into financial, geographic, system-level, and sociocultural domains. Associations were assessed using chi-square tests and regression models. Results: Breast cancer was the most common malignancy (32.0%), followed by colorectal (CRC: 9.8%). A total of 440 patients were included. Colorectal cancer (CRC) was the second-most common malignancy, with 37% of cases occurring before age 50. Breast cancer accounted for nearly half of female cancers. Smoking-related malignancies, particularly bladder and lung cancers, were prominent. Sex differences were cancer-specific, with male sex associated with bladder cancer but not overall cancer distribution. Barriers to care were highly prevalent: 97.3% reported at least one financial barrier, 95.4% system-level barriers, and 72.4% geographic barriers. Low SES was significantly associated with geographic barriers (p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: Cancer patterns in this vulnerable population are characterized by early-onset disease, a high burden of smoking-related cancers, and pervasive barriers to care. These findings highlight the importance of integrating SES and access-related variables into cancer surveillance systems and support the development of targeted, equity-focused interventions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diseases14050170","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]],"date-time":"2026-05-12T12:33:37Z","timestamp":1778589217000},"page":"170","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Cancer Patterns and Barriers to Care Among Socioeconomically Vulnerable Populations in Tripoli: A Descriptive Study from a Local NGO"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Mouhamad J.","family":"Darwich","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Sanabel Nour, Research and Development Unit, Medical Department, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dalal","family":"Ksair","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sanabel Nour, Research and Development Unit, Medical Department, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zein","family":"Adra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sanabel Nour, Research and Development Unit, Medical Department, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rafaela-Yomn","family":"Naji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sanabel Nour, Research and Development Unit, Medical Department, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bushra","family":"Sayed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sanabel Nour, Research and Development Unit, Medical Department, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1166-4999","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rihab","family":"Nasr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zeina","family":"Dassouki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Balamand, Beirut 55251, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"209","article-title":"Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries","volume":"71","author":"Sung","year":"2021","journal-title":"CA Cancer J. Clin."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dalton, M., Holzman, E., Erwin, E., Michelen, S., Rositch, A.F., Kumar, S., Vanderpuye, V., Yeates, K., Liebermann, E.J., and Ginsburg, O. (2019). Patient navigation services for cancer care in low-and middle-income countries: A scoping review. 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