Cancer, poverty and human development: challenges for nursing care in oncology.

Unlabelled: This is a reflection on poverty, human development and their interfaces with Oncology Nursing Care.

Objectives: identify the prevailing types of cancer per region; point the challenges posed to nursing care; discuss the possibilities for Oncology Nursing actions in this context. In light of the demographic, epidemiologic and socio-cultural distribution of cancer in Brazil, a systematic articulation of the Oncology care, in situations of poverty and of low human development, represents a challenge for Nursing, as the necessary actions for prevention, early detection, treatment, and rehabilitation, range from low to high complexity.