On February 22, an event was held in Osaka discussing disaster preparedness for cancer patients, featuring voices from both healthcare professionals and cancer survivors. Drawing upon experiences from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Western Japan floods, the discussion highlighted the necessity for cancer patients to express their conditions in their own terms and to maintain connections with reliable support during emergencies.

The event was part of the Japan Academy of Cancer Nursing's public lectures, aiming to create awareness about the challenges faced by cancer patients during natural disasters. One speaker, specialized cancer nurse Kanako Sugawara, recounted her own experience during the 2011 earthquake. She described the chaos at her hospital where she encountered broken windows and toppled medical equipment. With many staff unable to reach the hospital due to blocked roads and disruptions, critically ill patients had to be evacuated from the heavily damaged main building.

healthcare systems faced significant challenges during this period, including power outages that halted ongoing cancer treatments, with blood transfusions only resuming after two days and chemotherapy and radiation therapies suspended for weeks. The event underscored the critical need for communication and preparedness strategies tailored for cancer patients so that they can better navigate the complexities of healthcare access during disasters and not face emotional burdens alone.