Cancer treatment programmes at the Norwegian Radium Hospital

Sigbjørn Smeland

The Norwegian Radium Hospital (NRH) is constantly carrying out intensive research on new cancer treatment methods. The development of new treatments are initially taking place in laboratories by experimenting on isolated cells, tissue and in animal models. Drugs showing promising activities in the model systems are then tested out thoroughly in clinical studies on patients with cancer. A large number of the patients at the NRH are participating in various clinical studies.

The hospital activity is organized according to Treatment Programmes.
Each treatment program organize their own research activity.

Clinical research on new therapies and procedures in human beings is often time consuming and difficult to carry out at an ordinary hospital ward. The Norwegian Radium Hospital therefore established its Clinical Cancer Research Unit with its own doctors and specially trained nurses for early drug development (phase I and II studies).