The crossed analyses of two qualitative studies on French patients’ trajectories revealedbreaches in terms of information about care, social procedures and rights which lead patientsand/or their close relatives to develop mitigation strategies (turning to family caregivers, to non-conventional therapies, to practices of self-medication, to internet and medical sharingnetworks). It also revealed the long and discriminatory care pathways for patients in vulnerablesituations due to financial and administrative difficulties. Furthermore, some care pathwaysconfirmed professional prejudices, which lead these already fragile patients to be less listenedto, and less informed. On a broader level, those studies brought to light the medicalcommunity’s misunderstanding concerning the socio-demographic profiles of their patients.The results from these studies could be an opportunity to increase the status of loved ones andpatients themselves, to provide meaningful insights with regard to Health 2020 and relevantlessons for the National Cancer strategy. In view of the dual context of SIH and shift towardambulatory care (fragmentation of care between multiple actors), awareness must first andforemost be raised among professionals who care for those patients at a disadvantage whenfaced with cancer.