Annual Report 2012

Annual Report 2012
HM the King is the patron of the
Norwegian Cancer Society
Members of the royal family have been excellent
ambassadors for the Norwegian Cancer Society ever since
1948, when King Haakon VII became our patron. King
Harald has been the Norwegian Cancer Society’s patron
since 2005. He participates in the Norwegian Cancer
Society’s annual award ceremony for King Olav V’s Cancer
Research Prize in June. The prize was established on
29 April 1992 in memory of the late King Olav V and is
awarded to a researcher or research group who has made
a significant contribution to advancing the quality and
scope of Norwegian cancer research.
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75 years of voluntary cancer work
For 75 years the Norwegian Cancer Society has been a spearhead and driving force
in voluntary cancer work. We have strived to ensure that fewer people get cancer, that
more people survive cancer, and that cancer patients and their families have the best
possible quality of life. We have participated in and made a difference to Norwegian
cancer research by funding much of the research. All this has been thanks to donors,
small and large, supporting the work of the Norwegian Cancer Society.
But a lot of good work over 75 years is no
reason to rest on our laurels. Even though the
advances have been many and the challenges
are different to those that came before, there is
nothing to suggest that there is less to do in the
battle against cancer as the disease affects an
increasing number of people. Fortunately,
advances in cancer treatment mean that more
and more people survive cancer or live longer
while ill, but the rehabilitation provisions for
those who need help getting back on their feet
after suffering from cancer are severely lacking.
It is fantastic that we are constantly developing
new and better medicines and treatment
methods, but at the same time we must fight the
authorities to ensure that these innovations are
brought into use quickly and to provide funding
that guarantees fair and equal access for all. While
the national health service says that they are
treating more people than ever, we meet people
who experience long waiting times and meaningless delays.
The battle against cancer is intricate and
complicated. There are many cogs that have to
fit together for each cancer patient to receive the
best treatment and the best support. There is no
simple recipe for how to make sure that fewer
people get cancer. For several years, we have
called for a comprehensive plan that should
cover everything from prevention, research,
treatment, and rehabilitation to palliative care,
and that should find solutions for bottlenecks
such as waiting times, slow access to new
medicines, and a lack of adequately qualified
personnel. The Norwegian Cancer Society was
therefore very pleased when the Norwegian
Directorate of Health was commissioned to draw
up proposals for a cancer strategy for the next
five years in partnership with the Norwegian
Cancer Society. Once these words have been
written, the Ministry of Health and Care Services
will put the finishing touches to the new cancer
strategy. We are now waiting in anticipation to
see what the final result is and not least which
resources will be provided in the coming years to
support what we hope will be an ambitious
strategy.
Every year I use this opportunity to offer my
thanks for the support and the efforts of our
volunteers. That is also very much the case this
year. Without it we would not have been able to
do the work that we do. So many thanks to all
who support the cancer cause in Norway.
Thanks also to collaborative partners and to our
own employees for the work they do.
Anne Lise Ryel, Secretary-General
Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
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Tone Nordøy
Chief Physician MD.
Board Chairman
Paul Hellandsvik, Physician
Worked as a medical officer and
later as a chief county medical
officer. Director of research at
SINTEF Unimed and Project Director
at the Ministry of Health. Managing
Director of Central Norway Regional
Health Authority and now a senior
adviser there. Is the day-to-day head
of the national senior management
programme for health authorities.
Specialist in oncology (the study of
tumours) and radiation therapy.
Director of the Division of Oncology
at University Hospital of North
Norway in Tromsø.
Bengt Eidem
Chief Adviser
Jostein Christian Dalland
Marketing Director
MBA and a Masters in Technology
Management. Marketing Director of
Storebrand ASA and Chairman of the
national biotechnology initiative at the
Research Council of Norway. Managing
Director of a listed biotechnology company,
and established Norway’s largest
technology transfer office for the University
of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, and the
Southern and Eastern Norway Regional
Health Authority.
Chief public relations adviser at the
Norwegian Oil and Gas Association.
Has previously been a Conservative
Party politician. Was diagnosed with
acute myeloid leukaemia in 2005.
Employee Representative
Sigrid Elisabeth Trandum
Special Adviser
Terese Smith Ulseth
Lawyer
Partner in the Schjødt law firm and
manager of the working life group there.
Was previously a postdoctoral researcher
in employment law at the University of
Oslo, and has experience as a lawyer
with the Attorney General of Norway and
the Norwegian Confederation of Trade
Unions. Has been a member of the
Regional Committees for Medical and
Health Research Ethics, and is a
Cancer Society
member ofNorwegian
the Tariffnemnda.
4
- Annual
Trained nurse with further training in
cancer care, special expertise in
children and young people, in addition
to personnel administration and project
management. Has been employed by
the Norwegian Cancer Society since
1984, but has also been attached to
the National Hospital, Ullevål
University2012
Hospital, and now the
Report
Norwegian Radium Hospital.
Wenche Frogn Sellæg
Physician
Member of parliament (Conservative
Party) from 1985 until 1993.
Previously a minister in the Ministry
of the Environment, Ministry of
Justice and the Police, and the
Ministry of Social Affairs. Member of
a number of public boards and
committees.
Lars A. Akslen
Chief Physician MD.
Professor at the University of
Bergen and chief physician at
Haukeland University Hospital.
Was the recipient of King Olav V’s
Cancer Research Prize in 2009.
Deputy Chairman
Carl Otto Løvenskiold
CEO
MBA. Owner and CEO of family
business Løvenskiold-Vækerø AS.
Has been president of Virke (formerly
HSH), and a board member of
Norway Trade Fairs, Bygg Reis deg,
Norsk Byggtjeneste, Bergene Holm,
and EDRA (European DIY Retail
Association).
Board of Directors’ Report 2012
Main activities
The Norwegian Cancer Society is a
national organisation that addresses the
challenges of cancer and had 111,330
members at the end of 2012. The Society
supports cancer research, helps cancer
patients and their families, launches and
supports initiatives that provide improvements in cancer care, engages in political
advocacy, and puts problems with health
policy on the agenda. The head office of
the Norwegian Cancer Society is in Oslo
and it also has regional offices in Tromsø,
Trondheim, Bergen, Kristiansand, Hamar,
Tønsberg, and Oslo. An eighth regional
office in Stavanger will open during 2013.
nate scientific knowledge about what can
increase or reduce the risks of cancer.
The Norwegian Cancer Society has three
main objectives: fewer people should get
cancer, more people should survive cancer,
and ensuring the best possible quality of
life for cancer patients and their families.
- Provided input to the revised Tobacco
Act, which was presented to parliament
in December with several new necessary measures in the fight against
tobacco use.
Fewer people should
get cancer
Prevention
The Norwegian Cancer Society’s goal is
that Norway should have the lowest cancer
rates in the Nordic region. No one is
guaranteed not to get cancer, but we can
reduce the risk through healthy lifestyles. It
therefore has to be easier to make healthy
choices. The Norwegian Cancer Society is
an active driving force in seeking to make
Norway a leader in cancer prevention and
public health work. One of our most
important tasks is to work towards
structurally sound measures and dissemi-
The Norwegian Cancer Society has a
long-term goal of a smoke-free society.
Tobacco use is the single most important
cause of cancer. Avoidance of being
overweight and obese through physical
activity and a healthy diet, as well as
limiting alcohol intake, is also an important
step in reducing cancer. Excessive
sunbathing and too much UV radiation are
the main causes of skin cancer: a form of
cancer that Norway leads the world in.
In 2012, the Norwegian Cancer Society:
- Acted as an intervener in support of the
state in the lawsuit brought by the
tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris
Norway against the Norwegian state,
where the Oslo District Court ruled that
the ban on visible displays of tobacco
was not in conflict with EU law.
- Developed a range of new programmes,
tools, and information for and about
cancer prevention.
The Norwegian Cancer Society cooperates
with several voluntary organisations and a
number of other private and public bodies
in terms of preventative messages and
advocacy.
Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
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Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
International work
Globally, cancer causes 8 million deaths
annually, and more than 70 per cent of
these deaths occur in low and middleincome countries. Worldwide, cancer takes
more lives than HIV / AIDS, malaria, and
tuberculosis combined. The Norwegian
Cancer Society is working actively to
ensure that cancer and non-communicable
diseases are included on the national and
international health and development
agenda.
In 2012, the Norwegian Cancer Society:
- Followed up on the UN summit on
Non-Communicable Diseases in 2011.
- Continued a collaboration on tobacco
prevention work in Russia with support
from the Ministry of Health and Care
Services.
- Has supported a project for early
diagnosis of breast cancer in Peru using
funds from the pink ribbon campaign in
cooperation with the Norwegian Breast
Cancer Society and PATH.
- Contributed through advocacy work to
ensuring that the HPV vaccine is now
included in the GAVI global immunisation programme.
- Supported tobacco prevention projects
in Africa.
The McCabe Center for Law and Cancer is
an international network of lawyers who
work on the cancer cause. The Norwegian
Cancer Society plays a central and active
role in the network and is the coordinator
of the European network.
The Norwegian Cancer Society’s SecretaryGeneral is a member of the board of the
Union for International Cancer Control
(UICC), we are members of the European
Cancer League (ECL), and the Nordic
Cancer Union (NCU).
More people should
survive cancer
Research
The Norwegian Cancer Society is a very
important source of financing for cancer
research in Norway and allocated a total of
NOK 181.3 million to cancer research at
Norwegian universities, hospitals and other
research institutions in 2012. The Norwegian Cancer Society finances around 25
per cent of all cancer research in Norway.
In 2012 the Norwegian Cancer Society
supported around 200 research projects in
total across all types of cancer research.
The majority of the Norwegian Cancer
Society’s research funds (approx. NOK 129
million) were allocated through the main
call for proposals for researcher-initiated
projects in an open competition. The
Norwegian Cancer Society allocated
around NOK 50 million to strategic
research initiatives in 2012. Among other
things, this went to research into diagnosis
of cancers with poor survival rates, as well
as buying release time for physicians in
order to encourage more research among
active clinicians.
King Olav V’s Cancer Research Prize (worth
NOK 1,000,000) was established by the
Norwegian Cancer Society in 1992 and is a
prestigious annual event. HM King Harald V
awarded the prize for 2012 to Professor
Claes Tropé. Tropé works with gynaecological cancers at the Norwegian Radium
Hospital (part of Oslo University Hospital).
A cancer research environment that also
received an award this year was the Centre
for Cancer Biomarkers, headed by Lars
Akslen. This is the second Norwegian
cancer research environment, supported by
the Norwegian Cancer Society, to receive
this prestigious honour.
Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
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Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
Campaigns
The two major campaigns run by the
Norwegian Cancer Society had ”Research
into forms of cancer that few survive” and
in cooperation with the Norwegian Breast
Cancer Society ”Unique women need
unique treatment” as their themes in 2012,
respectively. Krafttak mot kreft [All-out
Effort against Cancer] was held over two
weeks in March, and raised NOK 23.8
million in 2012. Rosa sløyfe [Pink Ribbon]
was held during the month of October, with
the campaign making a profit of NOK 13.9
million during 2012.
Best possible quality of life
for cancer patients and their
families
Cancer care
The Norwegian Cancer Society can report
solid cancer care efforts in 2012. The most
important initiative has been the funding of
cancer coordinator jobs in the municipalities over several years at a total cost of
NOK 120-150 million, of which around
NOK 30 million was granted to 97 cancer
coordinator positions spread across 147
municipalities in 2012. In addition, the
Norwegian Cancer Society has provided
the following: The Cancer Helpline, Legal
Rights Service, course and group offerings,
themed meetings, etc., aimed at patients,
loved ones and the bereaved. There has
generally been high demand for the various
provisions.
In 2012 the Norwegian Cancer Society
distributed over NOK 4.7 million to 435
persons who have suffered financial
difficulties due to their illness and treatment.
Varde Centres
The Varde Centres are a venue and
meeting place for people affected by
cancer, patient associations, and health
professionals with activities that promote
health, quality of life, well being and
achieving a sense of mastery. In addition
the Varde Centre at the Norwegian Radium
Hospital that was established in 2010,
new Varde Centres have open in collaboration with health authorities at the Cancer
Centre at Ullevål, at St Olavs Hospital Trust
in Trondheim, and at the University
Hospital of Northern Norway in Tromsø. A
collaborative agreement has been entered
into with the Nordland Hospital Trust
regarding the establishment of a centre in
Bodø, and negotiations have been initiated
with a view to establishing Varde Centres
at Stavanger University Hospital, Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, and
Akershus University Hospital.
Volunteers
The Norwegian Cancer Society’s volunteers
are an increasingly important part of the
service provision to patients and their
families. In 2012 the number of volunteers
in cancer care increased to 350, including
45 volunteer lawyers. This means the
Norwegian Cancer Society is now able to
reach out to even more people. In 2012,
17,000 volunteers, of whom 14,000 were
students in their final year of school, also
took part in the Norwegian Cancer
Society’s fundraising campaigns.
Patient associations
Twelve independent associations representing people affected by cancer and their
families have collaborative agreements with
the Norwegian Cancer Society. The
associations provide help and support to
patients and their families through peer
support, courses, and other member
Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
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Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
activities. The Norwegian Cancer Society
supports their work with approximately
NOK 20 million annually.
User interaction and peer support are some
of the main areas of cooperation. In 2012
the associations were represented in
approx. 90 user committees in health
authorities and the Norwegian Labour and
Welfare Service. In the peer support area,
a joint committee has been formed that,
among other things, deals with quality
improvement of the associations’ peer
support services.
Public relations and political
influence
The Norwegian Cancer Society has worked
for several years on the creation of a new
cancer plan. In 2012 the Norwegian
Cancer Society made a substantial
breakthrough when the health minister set
in motion work on a new cancer strategy.
The Norwegian Cancer Society is cooperating with the Norwegian Directorate of
Health on the preparation of the strategy
that is to be submitted to the Ministry of
Health in March 2013.
During 2012 the Norwegian Cancer
Society also actively worked opposite
central authorities on a range of matters, in
addition to our participation in numerous
written and oral hearings. The Norwegian
Cancer Society should be visible, clear, and
credible in its political advocacy work at
central, regional, and local levels. Issues
included the government’s proposed
changes to the Tobacco Act, where the
Norwegian Cancer Society received
approval for practically all of its proposals,
and the work on the rights of patients in
relation to waiting times for cancer
treatment.
The Norwegian Cancer Society’s employees are represented on over 130 boards,
councils and working groups at central and
regional levels, and have also been part of
several international delegations.
Administration
The Norwegian Cancer Society is a
member of the employers’ association Virke
and is a certified by Eco-Lighthouse as an
environmental company. The activities of
the Norwegian Cancer Society do not
pollute the environment.
The Norwegian Cancer Society is an IWL
(Inclusive Working Life) business and works
actively to prevent and reduce sickness
absences, strengthen workplace attendance,
and improve the working environment, as
well as prevent exclusion and withdrawal
from working life. The Norwegian Cancer
Society has experienced sickness absences
of 4.3 per cent compared to 5 per cent in
2011. We reviewed the Equality and
Anti-discrimination Ombud’s checklist for
workplace equality during 2012 and found
that we had good procedures and measures
to guarantee that we had a discriminationfree workplace, but that there were a few
areas we would like to increase our focus
on. The Norwegian Cancer Society is
therefore continuing its efforts to raise
awareness of and entrench the significance
of having a diverse and inclusive workplace.
We want to strengthen cross-cultural
knowledge and build cultural understanding
among all employees. Within the organisation, the number of women among
employees continues to be significantly
higher that the number of men (80 per cent
women to 20 per cent men). The Norwegian Cancer Society would like to achieve a
better gender balance, but has so far not
Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
11
succeeded. The cooperation between the
organisation and employee representatives
was characterised by openness and
constructive dialogue.
No serious injuries or accidents in the
workplace were reported during 2012. During
2012, 188 work years were carried out at the
Norwegian Cancer Society. Turnover during
2012 amounted to 9.7 per cent.
Financial highlights
The Norwegian Cancer Society’s work is
funded primarily through fundraising, bequests and support from Norsk Tipping
(Norwegian National Lottery). Bequests
were one of the largest sources of income
in 2012 and accounted for NOK 114.1
million. In 2012 we had over 30,000
regular donors. We received NOK 55
million in response to donor letters and
NOK 26.5 million from regular donors. We
received NOK 19 million in memorial gifts.
We received NOK 69 million from Norsk
Tipping in 2012. The Norwegian Cancer
Society does not engage in telemarketing.
The Norwegian Cancer Society has an online
shop. The purpose of this shop is to generate
income and improve our reputation.
The Norwegian Cancer Society receives
very little in the way of government
funding. In 2012 the Norwegian Cancer
Society received a total of NOK 15.7
million in government funding, NOK 14.5
million of which was VAT compensation.
The Norwegian Cancer Society allocated
NOK 407.3 million to its core activities.
This represents 85 per cent of allocated
funds, while the equivalent figure was 82.4
per cent in 2012. The increase is partly
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Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
due to the allocation of around NOK 30
million to cancer coordinator positions in
the municipalities.
The collection rate was 80.8 per cent in
2012 and increased from 77.1 per cent in
2011. This means that collected funds and
donations have increased without an
equivalent increase in use of funds to
generate income. Overhead costs, i.e. costs
that cannot be directly linked to a specific
activity, totalled NOK 58.7 million and were
allocated to fundraising expenses, individual
core activities, and administration in relation
to the number of work years associated with
the activity. Administrative costs, which
cover parts of the administrative functions
and parts of the expenditure of the Secretary-General and assistant Secretary-General,
represent 1.6 per cent of allocated funds.
In 2012 there was an operating surplus of
NOK 10.8 million, compared with an
operating deficit of NOK 104.8 million in
2011. The large improvement in results was
primarily due to an increase in value of the
Norwegian Cancer Society’s portfolio of
NOK 70 million, which corresponds to a
return of 9.6 per cent. In 2011 the return
was minus 6.2 per cent, which meant
unrealised investment income of NOK 51.7
million. The changes in results are also due
to an increased in funds raised and
donations of NOK 20.1 million from 2011 to
2012. Furthermore, the Norwegian Cancer
Society spent NOK 34.7 million more on
core activities in 2012 than in 2011.
It is necessary that the Norwegian Cancer
Society has sufficient equity to manage any
future revenue loss. The Norwegian Cancer
Society aims to be a long-term and
predictable organisation with robust
capital, so that we are in a position to take
on major national initiatives in the cancer
Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
13
field. Our partners can and should feel
secure that the Norwegian Cancer Society
can fulfil its cancer research and cancer
care obligations. The Norwegian Cancer
Society is also facing a major boost in
terms of cancer coordinator jobs in the
municipalities, new Varde Centres, and
strategic research projects, including seed
money. Funds have been allocated to all
projects that the Norwegian Cancer Society
contributes to, so that the funding of these
projects is secured regardless of income
developments in future.
The Norwegian Cancer Society invests its
assets on the advice of its own Finance
Committee. The funds are invested with
strict security, liquidity, and risk diversification requirements, and they are managed
with the appropriate caution necessary for
publicly raised funds. The aim is to achieve
a satisfactory long-term return on the
managed funds. Of the Norwegian Cancer
Society’s managed funds, the externally
managed funds totalled NOK 775.4 million
at the end of 2012, which can be broken
down into NOK 314.1 million in equities/
equity funds and NOK 461.3 in fixed
income instruments. The capital had an
unrealised negative return of NOK 70
million in 2012.
During the period from 2001 to 2011 the
annualised return on the Norwegian
Cancer Society’s managed funds was 5.2
per cent.
The Norwegian Cancer Society has made
grants to projects that are due for payment
after the end of 2012. This funding
obligation of NOK 361.4 million has been
classified as a liability on the balance
sheet. Other liabilities are primarily related
to accounts payable, taxes, and payroll
obligations.
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Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
The increase in our cash position was NOK
133 million in 2012. Externally managed
capital increased by NOK 70 million in 2012
as a result of unrealised returns. In addition
to its securities portfolio, the Norwegian
Cancer Society had bank deposits of NOK
201.5 million at the end of 2012. Holdings
increased by NOK 62.9 million 2012.
Unpaid grants that are classified as liabilities
on the balance sheet increased by NOK
118.5 million during 2012.
Going concern assumption
The accounts have been prepared under
the assumption that the company will
continue as a going concern, and the
Board confirms that the prerequisites have
been met.
Other matters
To the best of the Board’s knowledge, no
circumstances have arisen after the end of
the financial year that are of significance to
the organisation’s position and results.
Allocation of surplus/deficit
The Board proposes the following allocation of the year’s surplus of NOK 10.8
million:
- Transfer to and thereby increase equity
with externally imposed restrictions:
NOK 6.5 million
- Transfer to and thereby increase other
equity: NOK 17.3 million
- Transfer from and thereby reduce equity
with self-imposed restrictions: NOK 13
million
Foundations
The Norwegian Cancer Society manages
and/or is a participant in 22 foundations
that focus on cancer as an objective.
Oslo, 25. April 2013
Board Chairman Paul Hellandsvik
Physician
Deputy Chairman
Carl Otto Løvenskiold
CEO
Wenche Frogn Sellæg
Physician
Bengt Eidem
Chief Adviser
Tone Nordøy
Chief Physician MD.
Terese Smith Ulseth
Lawyer
Lars A. Akslen
Chief Physician MD.
Jostein Christian Dalland
Marketing Director
Employee Representative
Sigrid Elisabeth Trandum
Special Adviser
Anne Lise Ryel
Secretary-General
Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
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Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
2%
1% 3%
2%
How we spend our funds
13 %
2%
Core activities 85 %
2%
1% 3%
Income generating activities 13 %
13 %
Administration 2 %
35 %
47 %
35 %
85 %
12 %
85 %
12 %
2%
1% 3%
1% 4%
6%
Our priority areas
2%
Research 47 %
1% 3%
1% 4%
Information / health education 12 %
Cancer care 35 %
47 %
35 %
6%
32 %
Advocacy and public relations 2 %
47 %
35 %
International work 1 %
32 %
Cancer prevention 3 %
4%
12 %
4%
12 %
Sources of income
1% 4%
6%
Grants from Norsk Tipping
(Norwegian National Lottery) 17 %
1% 4%
6%
17 %
Membership dues 5 %
17 %
5%
32 %
32 %
Subsidies and gifts from foundations 4 %
5%
4% 4%
Income from bequests 27 %
Memorial donations 4 %
Gifts and donations from private
individuals 32 %
4%
4%
27 %
27 %
Gifts from business and
sponsorship revenues 6 %
Other income 1 %
Government subsidies 4 %
Norwegian Cancer Society - Annual Report 2012
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27 %
The Norwegian Cancer Society cooperates with twelve
organisations* representing people with cancer and
their families.
www.norilco.no
www.barnekreftforeningen.no
www.brystkreftforeningen.no
Lungekreftforeningen
www.lungekreftforeningen.no
www.carcinor.no
www.gynkreftforeningen.no
Munn- og
halskreftforeningen
www.margen.no
www.ug.no
www.munnoghalskreft.no
www.prostatakreft.no
www.hjernesvulst.no
www.lymfekreft.no
*Approx. 30,000 members as of 31/12/2012
Kreftforeningen, Tullins gate 2, 0166 Oslo, Postboks 4 Sentrum, 0101 Oslo, Telefon 07877
servicetorget@kreftforeningen.no, www.kreftforeningen.no