– We googled it, and then it said that I had 3 to 5 years to live. We in this story are Bente Riskild Borgersen and her husband Bjørn. Bente had celebrated his 50th birthday with a big party. Then the body began to droop. It took a long time before the doctors found out what it was: incurable bone marrow cancer. – It was a relief to get an answer, I noticed that there was something wrong with the body, she says. That’s when she googled. First thought is death – The default reaction is; when will i die Oncologist Andreas Stensvold is head of department at Sykehuset i Østfold Photo: Sykehuset i Østfold / Oncologist Andreas Stensvold says. He is head of department at the Hospital in Østfold and was named oncologist of the year in 2018. That is, a cancer doctor with long experience in giving bad news to people. – When I worked at Radiumhospitalet, people often died after just a few months, he says. Now he sees that they live on year after year. Figures from the Cancer Registry show that there have never been more people living for ten years or more with cancer. Right now it applies to 130,000 people in Norway. That is an increase of 50,000 in the last ten years alone. 20,000 are living with a cancer that had already spread when discovered. That is twice as many as 20 years ago. – It is a paradigm shift, says oncologist Stensvold. He believes that cancer is becoming more like a chronic disease. Something you die with, but not necessarily from. At least for some types of cancer, he emphasizes. The reason is targeted, personalized medicine and immunotherapy that can both slow down and stop the cancer from spreading. Using the fresh powers It took time for Bente to accept the serious diagnosis. It helped to accept the situation, she says now. – You love fresh air, Bente said to herself until she believed it. Now she has to go out every day. Photo: Robert Hansen / news – I said to myself; OK, Bente, you can’t do anything about this, but then you can do something about something else. She started giving lectures about cancer, she who had never given a speech before. She looks fit, works out and makes sure she gets fresh air every day. But it’s not just glory days. – I think I’m lucky to be alive now. The researchers keep finding something new and I’m still here. It gives me hope. Have to think again about incurable cancer The Cancer Society’s general secretary, Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross, confirms that they are seeing a violent development now. – Now there are many who can hope to live long, and have the most good days, even with serious cancer, which may never completely disappear. Secretary General Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross at the Cancer Society. Photo: Jorunn Valle Nilsen / Kreftforeningen More people today live a long time before they die of their cancer, or at best they live so long and so well that they manage to die of something completely different from their cancer, she writes in an email mail. New methods and treatments offer new opportunities, but also new challenges. Oncologist Andreas Stensvold thinks that it challenges society. Who will receive which medicines and for how long? What about being able to work for a while versus disability benefits? – We have to think anew about incurable cancer. Think more about quality of life, he says. He challenges both politicians and NAV to take part in that discussion.
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