An ongoing shortage of cancer medicines is still forcing leading cancer centers across the U.S. to change how they treat patients, according to a new survey from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The survey found that all participating centers were experiencing a shortage of at least one medicine, while more than 20% reported shortages of five or more different medications.
The operational impact extends beyond pharmacy inventory. A majority of centers said clinical trials have been disrupted, indicating the shortage problem is affecting not only routine care but also research activity at institutions that help set oncology practice.
Treatment Workarounds
The survey was conducted by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a nonprofit alliance of 34 treatment centers. Among respondents, 61% said they were still able to treat patients despite shortages, but only by relying on workarounds such as avoiding waste, limiting use of existing inventory and administering the minimum suggested dosing.
Those tactics show that access problems are not always visible as outright treatment cancellations. Centers may still be delivering care, but under constraints that require conservation measures and narrower room for clinical discretion.
Delays Beyond Supply
The survey also found that two-thirds of centers said shortages delay treatment because they must again pursue prior authorization from insurers. That adds an administrative hurdle on top of the underlying supply problem, turning a manufacturing or distribution shortage into a payer access issue as well.
The signal for policymakers and drug supply stakeholders is that oncology shortages are no longer just a procurement challenge for hospital pharmacies. They are altering treatment operations at major cancer centers and spilling into clinical research and insurance workflows at the same time.
