The Icelandic Cancer Society (ICS) was established on the 27th of June 1951. The ICS has a remarkable history and has through the decades concentrated its engagement on prevention (e.g.cancer detection), education, research and patient services.

The Icelandic Cancer Society (ICS) was established on the 27th of June 1951.

The Icelandic Cancer Society is an umbrella organization of 27 member associations (20 local associations around the countryside and 7 support groups). At the Annual General Assembly, seven members are elected to the governing board of the Icelandic Cancer Society. The current chairman is Hlíf Steingrímsdóttir and the CEO is Halla Þorvaldsdóttir. The Board meets regularly every month. The Chairmen of the various member cancer associations convene as a rule in the autumn, often outside the capital area. The main role of the Icelandic Cancer Society is to be at the forefront of the fight against cancer.

Values of the Icelandic Cancer Society were chosen by representatives of the member associations and the employees. These are: Trust, Professionalism, Care and Respect.

The Goal of the Icelandic Cancer Society is supporting and promoting in every respect the fight against cancer by for example increasing public knowledge about these diseases, supporting and conducting research, running and supporting the National Cancer Registry,  supporting progress in the treatment of cancer and care of cancer patients, and securing their interest in every way.

From 1964-2020 the Cancer Detection Clinic of the ICS organized and ran the screening for cervical cancer, and for mammary cancer from 1973-2020. The Icelandic Cancer Society has for some time advocated for population based screening for colon cancer, and emphasizes that it should start as soon as possible.

The Cancer Registry

The Cancer Registry was established in 1954 and is among the oldest of such nationwide registries in the world. The coverage is outstanding, as information is gathered about almost every cancer diagnosed in the country. The data processing aims to accumulate knowledge about the causes and nature of cancer, and the extensive data bank allows for various types of studies, e.g. epidemiological research. Recently, registration of the stages of cancer has been included in the data collected and some clinical measures will be included, , which will allow for a wider scope of research. The scientists at the Cancer Registry have published more than 500 scientific articles based on the registries data.

Team Members:
Sigridur Gunnarsdottir
Helgi Björnsson
Halla Þorvaldsdóttir