The 53-year-old was diagnosed in November 2019, just before the pandemic. She had the dream job on Svalbard and refused to sit down. – I am a pragmatic and solution-oriented person. I could not do anything with that bullet, so I went to work. She did not want to sit at home. – It does not make you better, she says. She has been going for a private ultrasound since 2009. After ten years, they found a small lump in one breast. She had no suspicion herself. Here is Siri Dahle Jensen a month into the treatment, with the polar bear on Svalbard in the background. Photo: Private In retrospect, she remembers that moisture came out of the breast that had a tumor. It was a symptom the doctor made her aware of when they discovered the bullet. Siri Dahle Jensen refused to give up. Photo: Private She was operated on for breast cancer in December 2019. This was followed by six months of chemotherapy and three weeks of radiation treatment. – It was tough. Sharp increase The Norwegian Cancer Registry has received reports of 36,998 new cancer cases for 2021. This is shown by the cancer statistics for 2021, which were presented on Wednesday. This is 1483 more cancer cases than in 2020. This is a larger increase than has been the case in recent years. Giske Ursin, director of the Cancer Registry. – The reason for the increase we are seeing now is probably because 2020 was a special year. Due to the pandemic, fewer people were diagnosed with cancer, says Giske Ursin, director of the Cancer Registry. In advance, there was tension about how much the pandemic has had to say for cancer diagnosis in Norway. – We are worried about whether someone has been at home for too long with their cancer, says Ursin. She points out the importance of the cancer being detected early. – It is important that these cancers are detected when they are at an earlier stage where it is easier to treat them, says Ursin. Had to quit my dream job – For me, breast cancer has had major consequences, says Siri Dahle Jensen. She worked as an AFIS agent for AVINOR at Svalbard Airport. Then she worked in the air tower and gave the planes the necessary information, a demanding job where you always have to have full concentration. For Siri Dahle Jensen, the time on Svalbard was fantastic. Photo: Private The moment she received the first treatment with chemotherapy, she lost the medical approval she had to have in her job. Then she was on sick leave full time, something she is happy about today. Then she could concentrate on getting well. Here is Siri Dahle Jensen in the time before cancer. Photo: Private – I got to spend all my energy on the roller coaster my cancer treatment was. Eventually it became difficult to live on Svalbard. She wanted to live closer to family and hospital and moved back to Vadsø. – I quit my dream job on Svalbard and moved back to the mainland. Life on Svalbard is completely unique, says Siri Dahle Jensen. Photo: Private Important with fast treatment – It is frightening that we have not been able to assist cancer patients during the pandemic, says Ellen Harris Utne, chair of the board of the Breast Cancer Association. Chairman of the board of the Breast Cancer Association, Ellen Harris Utne. Photo: Erik Thallaug / Brystkreftforeningen Now it is necessary that those who have been diagnosed receive good follow-up, she believes. – The most important thing for cancer patients is to get treatment as soon as possible. – What can be done for those who, after all, have been diagnosed during this time? – Now it is important to shorten the queues and line up for those who are ill – and guide them as best we can, she says. In addition to breast cancer – the numbers also increased for ovarian and lung cancer among women, and melanon (mole cancer) among men. For breast cancer, the increase from 2020 to 2021 was as much as 15 percent. That is 567 cases. Cancer in Norway 2021 – some numbers Number of new cancer cases in 2021: 17,314 women 19,684 men Most common cancers, number of new cases 2021 Prostate cancer: 5188 Breast cancer: 4023 Lung cancer: 3499 Colon cancer: 3204 Skin cancer, non-melanoma as a result of 3097 Deaths : Total: 10,981 deaths 5065 women 5916 men Most deaths by cancer 2020 Lung cancer: 2168 Colon cancer: 1524 Prostate cancer: 954 Pancreatic cancer: 771 Breast cancer (women): 591 Source: The Cancer Registry, cancer statistics 2021 – Why the statistics? Siri Dahle Jensen has fought back at work. She still has the job at AVINOR, but now the job is at the air tower in Vadsø. Today, she does not understand why the disease affected her. – I wonder why. Why do we get breast cancer? She can not understand that she has done something wrong. – I have lived a completely normal life. I have not done anything wrong to cause myself cancer, so why? I wonder. Siri Dahle Jensen has never done anything that would indicate that she got cancer. Here from a trip to Svalbard the summer before she was diagnosed. Today she wonders why she was hit. Photo: Private
ttn-69
– Breast cancer has had major consequences for me – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
