Norway: Lung Cancer Country Profile
Norway performs well across all five of the domains, scoring ‘high’ in the third and fourth domains (on diagnosis and treatment,
respectively) and ‘moderately high’ in the remaining three domains. In the first domain, which looks at lung cancer as a strategic
priority, scores could be improved with the development of a lung cancer specific control plan and ensuring that the National
Cancer Control Plan includes an implementation schedule and a funding source. The second domain, focused on the public
health aspects of lung cancer, could be improved by an evidence based approach to screening and the involvement of patient
organisations in HTA assessments. The fifth domain scores slightly lower because the complete vital registration is just of medium
quality. However, in 2019, the INSPIRE project was launched to improve the quality of lung cancer data gathered. We discuss
opportunities for improvement at the end of this country profile.
It is important that Norway, with its disparate population, addresses the challenge of centralising care, particularly diagnosis and
surgical treatment, while using technology to ensure that high quality care can be delivered in remote regions. While improved
access to innovative treatment is being explored in Norway, workshop participants noted that delays in reimbursement resulted
in delayed access for patients. Workshop participants also underscored the importance of addressing lung cancer by working to
strengthen prevention efforts; those that smoke need help to stop, while those that don’t smoke need to be encouraged not to
start. Prevention is better than cure.
Summary scorecard
Domain Austria Belgium Finland France Netherlands Norway Poland Romania Spain Sweden UKLung cancer
is a strategic
priorityMH
Lung cancer
is a public
health issueMH
Lung cancer
is a race
against timeH
Lung cancer
is at a
crossroadsH
Lung cancer
is a focus for
researchMH
KeyLow Moderately low Moderate Moderately high HighSponsored by