Cancer survivors call for dedicated late-effects unit

More people are surviving cancer, but many are left living with long-term effects that society does not understand, KVF reports.

Karin Dahl was diagnosed with cancer six years ago. She now struggles with problems including hearing and dental damage, and often feels that support services are not well organised.

Jansy Gaardlykke, executive director of the Cancer Society, says her work shows a strong need for greater focus on both support and information for people living with late effects.

Dahl and Gaardlykke are calling for a rehabilitation unit where knowledge and assistance could be brought together. Similar late-effects clinics operate in Denmark.

The 2022 cancer plan states that a rehabilitation unit should be established to support people experiencing late effects. Dahl says such a unit would have helped her recover with more energy and in less time.