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Regional Cancer Center

Regional cancer centers were established in 2018 in all university hospitals on the initiative of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The purpose of these development units is to promote the functionality of the service system and the closer integration of research into patient care. The founding members of the regional cancer centers are the wellbeing services counties of their own cooperation area and the local university in each region. Together, these five regional cancer centers and the coordination unit located at HUS form the national cancer center, FICAN.

The contracting partners of the Cancer Center for Inner Finland (FICAN Mid) are the wellbeing services counties of Pirkanmaa, Kanta-Häme and South Ostrobothnia, as well as the Tampere University. This 3.3-person unit is administratively located in the RDI area of the wellbeing services county of Pirkanmaa, and its employees are a chief physician (director of the unit), a special adviser primarily responsible for university cooperation, a clinical nurse specialist in cancer nursing and a part-time quality manager. Regional activities are supported by a 24-member clinical working group, an 11-person scientific working group and an extensive cancer nursing network. The staff of the Cancer Center of Inner Finland are also responsible for developing the operations and leading the quality audit process of the Tays Cancer Centre together with the professionals and university researchers of the University Hospital. 

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Approximately 1300 new cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the wellbeing services county of Kanta-Häme, and nearly 500 of these patients are referred annually to the oncology outpatient clinic in Hämeenlinna for treatment planning and implementation. The Oncology Outpatient Clinic in Hämeenlinna employs four specialists, one specializing physician and four nurses. In addition, the central hospital has a palliative unit with 1-2 doctors and one nurse.

The unit provides a wide range of medical treatments for the most common cancer diseases as a local service not only in Hämeenlinna but also in Forssa and Riihimäki hospitals.

Cooperation is close with the hospital’s other specialties (e.g. multidisciplinary meetings), but also with other wellbeing services counties and university hospitals (especially the Tays Cancer Centre). The most significant cooperation is related to the radiotherapy of cancer patients and the centralization of the most demanding cancer surgeries to university hospitals.

At the moment, the most significant development projects are related to the renewal of the treatment path for lymphoma patients in cooperation with TAYS’s Oncology Division, the introduction of a new cancer drug treatment software (Kemokur) and the planning of operational change towards the new ASSI Hospital, to be built in Ahvenisto in Hämeenlinna in 2026.

Approximately 1500 new cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the wellbeing services county of Etelä-Pohjanmaa. Cancer diagnostics take place in the outpatient sector and in the diagnostic units of the central hospital. According to national recommendations, surgical treatment of cancer is mainly carried out in cooperation with TAYS. Radiotherapy is mostly carried out at Vaasa Central Hospital, part of the radiotherapy is given in Jyväskylä and TAYS.

The Oncology Unit has 3 specialists, 7 nurses and a joint ward nurse with Hematology and the Infusion Outpatient Clinic. The outpatient clinic implements the treatment planning of new patients, the implementation and follow-up of treatments, and intravenous outpatient drug treatments. Oncological treatment requiring ward facilities is provided at TAYS.  The gynecologist and hematologist are responsible for their own patients. Urologists carry out the treatments for their own organ group in their own outpatient clinic, with the exception of medical treatments for metastatic bladder cancer. Treatment of lymphomas is mainly centralized at Tays. Less common cancers (such as testicular cancer, penile cancer and sarcomas) are treated at TAYS.  Multidisciplinary meeting activities are regular, either as a local MDT or as a participant in Tays MDT activities.

Our most significant development projects are related to the development of digital services, the development of the job description of tablet nurses and the improvement of the well-being of the work community. Currently, the oncology outpatient clinic operates in temporary facilities that are sufficient for current operations. New facilities are being planned that would be part of the day hospital plan.