Background: The number of long-term cancer survivors (LTCSs) (>5 years after primary treatment) is rapidly increasing and currently concerns >100,000 patients in Norway. Although frequently cured by their disease, the treatments and the cancers have late effects that impair the physical and mental health and reduce quality of life of LTCSs.The Norwegian government has established The National Resource Centre for Long-Term Studies after Cancer (The Centre) which got the task of doing research and spread in formation concerning LTCSs to the health care system. The Centre has to get grants in order to fulfil these tasks. Objectives: The Centre shall do research concerning LTCSs, and this application concerns five projects: one epidemiological/registry (income and health insurance issues), two clinical (arm/shoulder morbidity and association between radiotherapy and later heart disease) and two translational
(genetic variation in second cancers and in breast cancer patients with fatigue and hypothyroidism as late effects). Methods: The following methods are used: merging of register data, comparison of self-report and objective measurements, detailed data collection of clinical and radiotherapy issues, and analysis of genetic variants on the molecular level. The research is mostly part of international collaboration with leading centres in Europe and the United States. With these contacts the Centre has the competence to carry out the research objectives. Relevance and dissemination: The projects will contri bute to the prevention of late effect development, and to the diagnosis and treatment of such effects in LTCSs thereby reducing premature death, functional impairment and reduced quality of life. The results will be presented at international meeting and be published in international journals and also include 2 PhD theses. Nationally the results will be disseminated to the oncological community and to the patients through the Norwegian Cancer Association.