History

The Cancer Registry of Norway was established 17. October 1951. The background was, that at that time, the Norwegian Cancer Society sent a proposal to the Social Services Department in the Spring of 1950. The Social Services Department, authorized by the Law relating to medical practitioners, directed the country’s hospitals, pathological institutes and x-ray departments to notify all cancer cases to the Cancer Registry of Norway from 1. January 1952.

The Cancer Registry was located at The Norwegian Radium Hospital. It was administered by a board with representatives from the Department of Health, Norwegian Cancer Society, The Norwegian Radium Hospital and Statistics Norway. The Cancer Registry was at that time mainly financed by The Norwegian Cancer Society.

In 1972 the Cancer Registry also became an Institute of Population-based Cancer Research. In 1979 the Norwegian government overtook all the Registry’s obligations. In 1991 the Registry moved to Fridjof Nansens vei at Majorstuen, Oslo where the institution still is located in no 19.

In 1994 the institution was placed directly under the Health-and Social Services Department and the board’s function was terminated. In 2001 the name was changed to: Cancer Registry, Institute of Population-based Cancer Research. 

From 1 January 2002 the Cancer Registry became part of South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority as part of The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Hospital Trust (HT). However, it was organized as an independent institute with its own board and chapter in the national budget. In 1 January 2005 the Cancer Registry was transferred to the new Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospital HT, today Rikshospitalet HT, under the same terms.

Starting with four employees in 1951 the Registry had by the end of 2007 c 150 employees in 115 positions. The data-base contains complete national data of high quality from 1953. New requirements to registration quality, and the aspiration to increase the efforts for work related cancers, screening, clinical surveillance and hereditary cancer have contributed to the strong growth of the establishment.

During the first 35 years only one person submitted and defended his thesis leading to a PhD. This was Professor Erik Bjelke who in return is highly esteemed internationally and frequently quoted. During the last 19 years the Cancer Registry of Norway has produced 35 PhDs. In 2007 alone there were six.