Foreword by the Norwegian Cancer Society

Cancer affects us all – whether as patients, next of kin, colleagues, healthcare professionals or members of society at large. In recent decades, we have made remarkable progress in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Today, three in four people diagnosed with cancer survive, which is twice as many as 50 years ago. These figures are the result of a great deal of new knowledge and effort that have given many more people more time with their nearest and dearest.

Still, we are now facing a new reality. More than 38,000 new cancer diagnoses are made in Norway each year, and this figure is expected to increase year on year as the population ages. This will increase pressure on health services that are already stretched and challenge us to be innovative, act faster and cooperate better. At the same time, we are entering a time of untold opportunities. Research is gathering momentum, and artificial intelligence is providing us with tools that will revolutionise both diagnosis and treatment. The future has never looked brighter for cancer treatment opportunities, but it will require us to provide the best possible conditions for research and innovation communities, retain and invest in highly skilled healthcare professionals, and ensure equitable access to the best forms of treatment available for all cancer patients. We have therefore set ourselves some ambitious goals for the coming decade.

Cooperation is our most important asset in the work to achieve the goals set out in the present strategy. When we share knowledge, resources and experience, we create the solutions required. Public, private and non-profit partners must join forces to develop new forms of treatment and reduce geographical differences. International collaboration allows us to access world-leading innovations and research networks that can lift Norwegian health services to a higher level.

At the national and local levels, we must ensure seamless transitions between the municipal health service and hospitals to ensure that no patients fall through the cracks. We must achieve the same in the transition between the health services and the labour market to ensure that more people with cancer are able to continue to work. And most importantly: We must listen to the patients and their next of kin. Their experiences, voices and needs must serve as our compass as we set our course towards the cancer care of the future.

This cancer strategy is about hope, action and joint efforts. Together, we can reduce the prevalence of cancer, ensure early diagnosis and offer treatment and follow-up of the highest quality to all who need it. The Norwegian Cancer Society is ready to do everything in our power to promote this joint effort to combat cancer, and we are pleased that the new strategic collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Care Services makes this possible. Together, we can give future cancer patients and their next of kin what they deserve, which is the Cancer Society’s vision: A life without cancer.

Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross