Active Against Cancer - Norway

The Active Against Cancer foundation was founded by Helle Aanesen and now deceased marathon star Grete Waitz in 2007, two years after Waitz herself was diagnosed with the disease. It aims to establish physical activity as part of cancer therapy.

Support from the Kavli Trust will help to strengthen this field of “exercise oncology” under the leadership of Dr Lee Jones. The project seeks to explore which tumours are influenced by a patient’s physical activity.

Dr Jones has already published much research into this form of treatment, and intends to keep working until enough is known to be able to give patients a prescription for specific exercises on the same basis as for medicines.

A research grant is also due to be established which will benefit Norwegian scientists and Norway’s research community.

More about this project

  • A semester with world class cancer researchers

    May 08, 2018

    Tormod S. Nilsen was the first of three Norwegian researchers to receive a grant from Aktiv mot kreft and the Kavli Trust, in support of his research on physical activity as a part of cancer treatment. He says his time as a cancer researcher in NYC was both eventful and productive.

  • Exercising research in New York

    March 29, 2017

    Norwegian scientist Tormod Skogstad Nilsen has moved to New York to study the role of physical activity in cancer treatment, with backing from the Kavli Trust.

  • New collaboration for research in exercise oncology

    December 20, 2016

    An approach to cancer treatment based on physical activity, originally backed by Norway’s deceased female marathon star Grete Waitz, could be on the verge of acceptance in America. A donation of NOK 5,4 million from the Kavli Trust is allowing the Active Against Cancer foundation to support research work which has so far given promising signals.