fi sv en

 

Finnish Cancer Center FICAN 

The Finnish Cancer Center (FICAN) was established in 2019 to promote effective and equitable cancer care in Finland. FICAN’s mission is to implement the tasks defined in the Government Decree on the Division of Duties and the Centralisation of Certain Tasks in Specialised Healthcare (582/2017, also referred to as the Decree on the Centralisation of Specialised Healthcare). These tasks include planning and coordinating cancer prevention, diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation and ensuring a strong foundation for research.

FICAN comprises five regional cancer centres and a unit coordinating national activities and cooperation. The regional cancer centres are FICAN South, FICAN East, FICAN West, FICAN North and FICAN Mid. 

The coordinating unit implements national decisions and coordinates FICAN’s national activities. It also advances, guides and implements FICAN’s tasks in collaboration with the regional cancer centres. Strategic decisions on national activities are made by the national management board. The board has three members from each regional cancer centre and one member from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

The regional cancer centres are tasked with planning and coordinating regional activities while ensuring the implementation of national recommendations and guidelines within respective wellbeing services counties. Regional activities are guided by each centre’s steering group. These groups include representatives from the relevant wellbeing services counties and the regional medical university. 

National Cancer Strategy

Various projects and working groups are an integral part of FICAN’s operations. This work is conducted in close cooperation with national and international experts. FICAN’s coordinating unit oversees the implementation of national projects, with the responsibility for leading specific projects being agreed on separately with the regional cancer centres. 

FICAN coordinated the preparation of the National Cancer Strategy at the request of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The strategy was published on 10 November 2025. The Ministry has also commissioned FICAN to draw up a roadmap for implementing the strategy. Its purpose is to specify and translate into concrete terms the measures of the strategy and to define their implementation, responsible parties, timetables, resources and monitoring.

International cooperation

FICAN actively participates in international cooperation on cancer, particularly in EU-funded development projects. It takes part in the Establishing of Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies (ECHoS) project that aims to support Member States in the implementation of the EU Beating Cancer Plan and the Cancer Mission. The project helps establish a national network of cancer stakeholders, the National Cancer Mission Hub, in each country. The Cancer Mission Hub Finland will serve as the national network in Finland as planned. Work is underway to plan the launch of the Cancer Mission Hub Finland. 

FICAN also takes part in the Joint Action on Networks of Expertise (JANE 2), which focuses on creating new expert networks, and in the Personalised Cancer Medicine (PCM) project, which aims to expand access to personalised cancer medicine in EU Member States. In addition, FICAN participates in several EU-level working groups and networks and strengthens Finland’s commitment to developing cancer treatment and research as a member of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI).