FICAN South comprises of HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Päijät-Häme Joint Authority for Health and Wellbeing (PHHYKY), Joint Authority for Kymenlaakso Social and Health Care Services (Kymsote), South Karelia Social and Health Care District (Eksote), and University of Helsinki, which is in charge of medical research and education.

We operate in Southern Finland as part of the National Cancer Center Finland (FICAN)

Regional cancer centers were launched in 2018 and they operate in university hospitals in Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Kuopio, and Oulu. The regional cancer centers and the unit coordinating national activities together make up the National Cancer Center Finland FICAN, which aims to improve and streamline cancer treatment on a national level, and make sure that all patients have equal access to high quality care. FICAN South cooperates with other regional cancer centers. Together we create a new operating model to promote current and high quality cancer care and research in Finland.

To develop our activities, FICAN South has launched several cooperation projects

In our cooperation projects, the participants must be from at least two different FICAN South regional units, or from two different divisions or research groups in a single region.

FICAN South has granted funding for clinical  projects for 2020

DEVELOPING DRUG THERAPY FOR ADVANCED MELANOMA
Responsible person: Adjunct professor, Micaela Hernberg, HUS Comprehensive Cancer Center

ASSESSMENT OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE IN SENSITIVE DIAGNOSTICS AND PERSONALIZED THERAPY RESPONSE EVALUATION IN MYELODYSPLASTICSYNDROMES AND RELATED MYELOID MALIGNANCIES (MDS-MOLE-2015)
Responsible person: Adjunct professor, Chief Physician Freja Ebeling, HUS Comprehensive Cancer Center

ENHANCING THE EFFICACY OF CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING IN SOUTHERN FINLAND: HPV screening, self-sampling and novel TRIAGE biomarkers
Responsible person: Adjunct professor Eeva Auvinen, HUS Diagnostic Center, HUSLAB and University of Helsinki

EGFR GENE COPY NUMBER AS A PREDICTOR OF anti-EGFR TREATMENT RESPONSE IN COLORECTAL CANCER
Responsible person: Professor Olli Carpén, HUS Diagnostic Center and University of Helsinki

VeMA-FIRST in (WO)MAN CLINICAL STUDY TO ASSESS SAFETY, TOLERABILITY AND BIOMARKERS OF THE
COMBINATION OF VENETOCLAX AND METFORMIN PLUS ATEZOLIZUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC
BREAST CANCER REFRACTORY TO STANDARD SYSTEMIC TREATMENT
Responsible persons: Research director Juha Klefström, University of Helsinki and Adjunct professor, Director Johanna Mattson, HUS Comprehensive Cancer Center

DEVELOPMENT OF GOOD DISCUSSION SUPPORT PRACTICES FOR THE CARE OF  INCURABLY ILL PATIENTS
Responsible person:  MSc Heli Mikkonen, HUS Comprehensive Cancer Center and University of Helsinki

EARLY DETECTION OF BILIARY NEOPLASIA AND CHOLANGIOCANCER IN PRIMARY SCLEROSING CHOLANGITIS (PSC)
Responsible person: Professor, Head of the Clinic Martti Färkkilä, HUS Abdominal Center and University of Helsinki

MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY OF HEMATOLYMPHOID NEOPLASMS
Responsible person: Adjunct professor, Chief Physician Marja-Liisa Karjalainen-Lindsberg, HUS Diagnostic Center and University of Helsinki

FICAN South Call for Applications 2020

FICAN South received 33 clinical project applications and funding was applied for totaling 1.7 million €

Funding was granted for cooperation projects involving actors from at least two FICAN South contracting parties (HUS, UH, Eksote, PHHYKY, Kymsote). On the proposal of the FICAN South Clinical Working Group, the project evaluation was carried out by an external evaluation board. All applications were evaluated with points 1 to 6 in four different categories (scientific level, collaboration, applicability / benefit to the patient, other funding for the group / applicant). Funding was granted to eight clinical development and research projects totaling EUR 334,301.

Further information:
Director Mika Mustonen, FICAN South
email: mika.mustonen@hus.fi