Within the area of cancer research and its applications, Finland has an especially strong expertise in the field of hormonal cancers, such as prostate and breast cancer. Helsinki, Tampere and Turku are in the vanguard of this research.
Prostate cancer research concentrates on androgen receptors, familial prostate cancer, for example gene tests, and benefits of extensive prostate cancer screening. In Finland, breast cancer screening has been done widely and successfully for decades.
Examples of current research include:
- Research on the signalling pathways of androgen receptors in castration-resistant prostate cancer
- Research on the subgroups of breast cancer, enabling personalized pharmacotherapy
- Basic research on the invasive and metastatic behaviour of cancers at the University of Turku
Oncos Therapeutics Ltd is currently working on the clinical development of oncolytic viruses for cancer therapeutics. Docrates Hospital, a private hospital specializing in oncological treatment, actively cooperates with research institutions and pharmaceutical companies in the development of new cancer treatments.
The Comprehensive Cancer Center Finland (CCC-Fin) is an extremely important initiative for the future of Finnish cancer research. Its active planning phase has already been started in all five biocentres in Finland.
The following links include some examples of organizations with cancer expertise in Finland: