Host Dr. John Sweetenham, of the UT Southwestern’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, interviews Dr. Mariia Kukushkina, of the National Cancer Institute of Ukraine in Kyiv, on the heroic efforts of oncologists to treat patients with cancer during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. From her home in Kyiv, Dr. Kukushkina recounts how “some cancer centers have been destroyed.”   Transcript Dr. John Sweetenham: Hello, I'm John Sweetenham, the associate director for Clinical Affairs at UT Southwestern's Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and host of the ASCO Daily News Podcast. On February 24th, Russia launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine, which has led to international condemnation and sanctions against the Russian government. ASCO has joined its Ukrainian members, the worldwide oncology community, and healthcare providers in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has called for an immediate cessation of the hostilities and full protection and safety for all Ukrainian patients, healthcare workers, and medical facilities.  Today we'll be discussing the impact of the war on patients with cancer and how oncologists the coping under these extremely difficult circumstances. Joining me for this discussion is Dr. Mariia Kukushkina, a senior research associate in the Department of Skin and Soft Tissue Tumors at the National Cancer Institute of Ukraine in Kyiv. My guest and I have no conflicts relating to our topic today. Our full disclosures are available in the show notes and disclosures of all guests on the podcast can be found in our transcripts at ASCO.org/podcasts.   Dr. Kukushkina, we are so glad to speak with you today. I understand that you're speaking with us from your home in Kyiv, is that right?    Dr. Mariia Kukushkina: Yes, absolutely right. Thank you very much for this invitation and for this opportunity to share the information about the situation in Ukraine now.    Dr. John Sweetenham: Well, we really appreciate your taking the time to speak with us. Could you begin by describing the current situation, which is facing oncologists and patients under your circumstances at the moment?    Dr. Mariia Kukushkina: Okay. First of all, I would like to thank for incredible support Ukraine and Ukrainians all over the road. It's helped us to be strong, and I am very appreciative of ASCO Daily News for this opportunity to discuss the situation with cancer care in Ukraine. So, what do we have nowadays? Unfortunately, only some cancer centers in our country are working. Some cancer centers have been destroyed. Others are in areas where there are active hostilities.  In the majority of cases, active cancer centers can provide only outpatient-intended treatments and urgent surgery, and some staff are unable to get to work due to lack of public transport, as you will understand.   On the other hand, cancer centers in the west of Ukraine are overloaded by patients coming from other regions. And a lot of our patients are on the road because some countries, like Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Baltics declared that Ukrainian refugees are entitled to the same medical services as Polish or Romanian, etc, and insured people without payment or social health insurance.  And on behalf of Ukrainian people, I would like to thank all countries that are accepting our patients, and helping them as much as they can. But some patients cannot leave their cities as you understand, and families, and so they are still staying in Ukraine. And almost all stopped except those who are mobilized into the army, or those who have decided to stay to take care of our patients because people in these countries are hit by both war and cancer, and almost all Ukrainian oncologists are providing free online consultations and try to help. Our oncologists, nurses, ambulances, volunteers, radiologists, surgeons, and everyone else in healthcare, do everything in their power to ensure that patients can continue treatme