Purpose
The Nordic Thoracic Oncology Group is a clinician-led, non-profit collaborative network advancing thoracic oncology care, research, education, and quality improvement across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
NTOG works with a range of stakeholders in a transparent, independent, and ethically responsible manner. These principles set out the framework that guides collaboration.
They apply to collaboration with industry, patient organisations, nurses and allied health professionals, registries, universities, hospitals, other research groups, and related disease-area networks.
Collaboration opportunities
NTOG can support collaboration when the activity strengthens patient-centred thoracic oncology care, research, education, quality improvement, or Nordic exchange.
Clinical and translational research
Nordic studies, registry-based projects, tissue and biomarker studies, imaging, treatment response, toxicity, resistance, and outcome analyses.
Education and meetings
Symposia, courses, working-group workshops, training activities, guideline discussion, protocol harmonisation, and early-career development.
Quality improvement and registries
Quality indicators, registry variables, care pathway comparison, MDT data, staging data, treatment timelines, treatment intent, and outcomes.
Patient and professional organisations
Patient priorities, lived experience, communication, pathway improvement, survivorship, supportive care, and multidisciplinary education.
Nurses and allied health professionals
Patient communication, rehabilitation, nutrition, smoking cessation, MDT practice, symptom management, palliative care, and clinical pathway development.
Industry-supported activities
Research, education, registry infrastructure, and congress activities may be supported when independence, transparency, and conflict-of-interest standards are preserved.
Collaboration principles
These principles are intended to make collaboration possible without compromising scientific, clinical, or organisational independence.
1. General principles
- Every collaboration must advance NTOG's mission of patient-centred thoracic oncology care.
- NTOG retains full scientific, clinical, and organisational independence.
- Transparency, integrity, and accountability guide all collaborative activities.
- Collaborations comply with applicable Nordic and national laws, ethical standards, and data protection legislation, including GDPR.
- Conflicts of interest are declared in writing before any collaboration begins and updated annually.
2. Industry collaboration
- Industry partnerships may support research, education, registry infrastructure, or congress activities.
- Industry partners have no influence over clinical recommendations, guidelines, or scientific conclusions published under the NTOG name.
- Financial or material support is managed transparently and disclosed in line with ICMJE, EFPIA, and applicable national disclosure standards.
- NTOG does not endorse specific commercial products, services, or brands.
- Sponsorship does not confer authorship, voting rights, or editorial control.
3. Patient organisations
- Patient organisations contribute lived experience, priorities, and feedback that can shape research questions, education, and guideline discussion.
- Engagement is consultative or co-developmental and respects patient autonomy, diversity, and organisational independence.
- NTOG supports meaningful and sustained patient involvement while maintaining clinical and scientific objectivity.
- Patient organisations are welcome to participate in relevant NTOG symposia and activities.
4. Nurses and allied health professionals
- Nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians, social workers, and other allied health professionals are essential to thoracic oncology care and to NTOG's work.
- Collaboration covers pathway development, MDT practice, quality improvement, education, rehabilitation, supportive care, and patient communication.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration respects professional roles, scope of practice, and expertise across the Nordic countries.
- Allied health professionals are welcome to attend and participate in NTOG symposia.
5. Registries and data collaboration
- NTOG promotes high-quality clinical and quality-of-care registries to improve outcomes and inform research.
- Registry data remain under national ownership and governance.
- Cross-Nordic collaboration focuses on harmonisation of variables, definitions, and quality indicators while respecting national regulations.
- All data use requires relevant ethical approvals, legal basis, and compliance with data protection legislation, including GDPR.
6. Hospitals, universities, and research groups
- NTOG collaborates with professional societies, research networks, hospitals, universities, and other disease-area groups when this benefits patients.
- Cross-disciplinary collaboration is encouraged where thoracic oncology overlaps with pulmonology, radiology, pathology, thoracic surgery, radiotherapy, palliative care, primary care, and public health.
- Collaborations are non-exclusive and grounded in academic respect and shared scientific standards.
7. Governance and review
- These principles are reviewed at least annually by the NTOG Steering Committee.
- Specific collaborations may be set out in separate written agreements covering scope, deliverables, intellectual property, financial support, authorship, publication rights, and disclosure.
- Concerns about a collaboration can be raised in confidence with the NTOG Chair or Secretary through the Steering Committee.
Start a collaboration
Collaboration enquiries should be routed through the relevant expert contact, work package, Steering Committee member, Chair, or Secretary.
For research collaboration specifically, see the Research Collaboration page. For topic routing, use the Expert Network page.