Background: The Montebello Centre offers cancer patients and their relatives courses of 5-10 days duration aimed at improving their coping with their disease.
Material and methods: Data on all patients admitted to the Centre 1991-2004 were linked with data from the Norwegian Cancer Registry (n = 10,173). Patients and relatives who took courses in 2004 or 2005 were asked to fill in questionnaires concerning usefulness and satisfaction with the courses.
Results: Patients from all parts of Norway have signed up for the courses without substantial regional differences. In relation to the incidence of cancer, most patients came from northern Norway. Women with breast cancer constituted the largest group of patients. One third of the patients were men, and that proportion increased throughout the observation period. Most patients were admitted less than two years after their initial diagnosis. After the year 2000, 67% of the patients have been accompanied by someone. Starting with the first course the five year survival rates were 69% for females and 52% for males. More than 90% of patients and relatives stated that the courses had improved their knowledge of cancer, their coping skills and given new social contacts.
Interpretation: The Montebello Centre functions as a national centre. Men and accompanying persons are admitted in an increasing proportion. At the end of the course both patients and their relatives reported the courses to be highly useful, and displayed a high degree of satisfaction . There is a need to know more about the long-term effects of the courses.