OBJECTIVES: Assess the geographical distribution of the nationally available resources for the diagnosis/treatment of patients with cancer in Greece, in order to identify disparities in available capacity between various geographic regions that impact on the equality of access to effective care. METHODS: Due to lack of a centralized cancer registry as well as a national hospital capacity database, there is no record of either cancer prevalence or hospital capacity to treat cancer per geographic region. In this light, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted to all public and private sector hospitals in Greece, in order to record their capacity to diagnose/treat cancer. Special emphasis was placed on the recording of oncology clinic beds and chemotherapy beds. Data were clustered according to geographical region (a total of 11 in Greece) and compared to the percentage of the population in the region, as calculated in the 2001 census. RESULTS: Major discrepancies were observed in the distribution of resources in favor of large urban areas. The majority of the nationally available oncology clinic beds and chemotherapy beds (61.6% and 56.4% respectively) is located in the district of Attica, an area where only 32.2% of the total Greek population resides. Excess clustering above population percentages is observed in 2 more districts (that include large urban centers, as well), whereas for 3 districts, mainly rural, accounting in total for 16,3% of the country population, no available beds were recorded CONCLUSIONS: Clustering of oncology specific resources exceeds the spatial concentration pattern of health care services observed in Greece. Geographical misdistribution is a major contributor to access inequalities in health. Fair allocation of resources according to population distribution could contribute to achieving earlier access to effective health care, thus reducing the burden of the disease, lowering the cost for seeking adequate treatment for the household and ensuring equality in access.