Climate Toxicity in Cancer Care: A Concept Analysis

Climate change and cancer treatment are interrelated global imperatives. Climate toxicity, an emerging concept, denotes the reciprocal harm between environmental degradation and cancer treatment-severe weather/toxins increase cancer risk and hinder treatments, while carbon-intensive medical methods exacerbate climate problems, creating a 'cancer-climate' vicious cycle. Contemporary research lacks a comprehensive framework.

The aim of the study was to analyse the concept of climate toxicity in cancer care.

The concept analysis approach was developed by Walker and Avant.

This is a comprehensive study of seven English and four Chinese databases (inception to March 2025), augmented by grey literature and nursing/oncology textbooks, policy documents, legal texts and environmental science literature for interdisciplinary analysis.

The attributes, antecedents and consequences of climate toxicity in cancer care were delineated from 17 papers. The distinguishing attributes of climate toxicity were outlined by the dynamic interactions between the environment and healthcare systems, extreme destructive climate events, inequities in vulnerability and cumulative temporal impacts. The antecedents comprised high-carbon medical systems, recurrent extreme climate events, heightened exposure to carcinogens and insufficient climate knowledge among healthcare professionals. These effects involve the potential for treatment disruption, exacerbation of the cancer burden and expansion of health inequities in the country.

Climate toxicity represents a systemic challenge at the intersection of environmental issues and cancer care, establishing a theoretical foundation for multidisciplinary research, climate-resilient policies and equitable healthcare.