Without an organized and sufficiently resourced implementation, the national cancer strategy’s goals of furthering equity, early detection and effective cancer treatment will not be achieved. Meanwhile, the load created by cancer on patients, their loved ones and society will continue to grow; without clearly defined action, it will continue to grow faster than the healthcare service system is able to respond. However, with the implementation of the cancer strategy, the direction of development can be turned.
The Finnish Cancer Center FICAN is currently responsible for coordinating the preparation of the implementation roadmap of the national cancer strategy, as commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The ministry has set a steering group to support the preparations, the role of which is to direct and monitor the work, as well as ensure the preparation ensues as planned while taking in to account the views of all involved actors. The steering group consists of representatives from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, FICAN, Cancer Society of Finland and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Start of implementation to be specified by roadmap
A key purpose of the implementation roadmap is to ensure that the action points set in the national cancer strategy correspond to the strategy’s ambitious goals, while also being realistic and feasible. The implementation roadmap will specify on the execution of action points, including the roles and responsibilities of different actors, schedules, resourcing needs and other central necessities for practical implementation.
The contents of the roadmap will be based on the extensive work done by working groups in connection with the preparation of the national cancer strategy.
Preparation continues in collaboration with key responsible actors
The preparation of the roadmap is in an active phase and will progress significantly during the spring of 2026 in collaboration with actors central to the implementation of the strategy. The next steps will be to hold discussions and consultations with said actors, which aim to form a shared view on the execution of action points and their requirements.
Following these discussions, the implementation roadmap is set to be finalized by the summer. As the preparation progresses, a shared view will be formed on how the aims of the cancer strategy will be taken into practice as a collaborative effort of different actors.
“The implementation of the strategy is a shared effort of the whole cancer field, which requires the long-term commitment of all actors. Shared aims, which direct the implementation of the strategy, include improvement of equity and quality of life of cancer patients and survivors, cancer prevention, and the reduction of cancer-related deaths”, highlights Project manager Mirjami Tran Minh from the Finnish Cancer Center FICAN.
More information
Tomi Mäkelä, Director, Finnish Cancer Center FICAN (head of secretariat)
Mirjami Tran Minh, Project manager, Finnish Cancer Center FICAN
More about the preparation of the strategy’s implementation: Preparation of the implementation roadmap – FICAN
