Radiumhemmet
A Swedish oncology and radiotherapy institution in Solna that has been part of Karolinska University Hospital since 1938.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Radiumhemmet is a Swedish cancer-treatment and radiotherapy research institution based at the Karolinska University Hospital complex in Solna, Stockholm County. Its name means “Radium Home,” a reassuring term chosen when the institution was created at a time when radium treatment was new, experimental and often associated with fear. Radiumhemmet is not a consumer product brand or an independent commercial company; it is a long-established medical institution whose identity is associated with oncology care, radiation medicine, clinical research and public cancer services. The institution was established in Stockholm in 1910 under the Swedish Cancer Society, following earlier work at Serafimerlasarett. A radium diagnostic laboratory had been created there in 1903, and in 1906 responsibility was transferred to the surgical department, where physician and radiotherapy researcher Gösta Forssell became a central figure. Radiumhemmet began in rented premises on Scheelegatan in Kungsholmen with sixteen beds and a single X-ray therapy unit. Its early work, especially in gynaecological cancers, produced sufficiently encouraging results to attract municipal support and royal contributions. Patient numbers more than doubled between 1911 and 1914. Under Forssell’s leadership, the institution recruited Elis Berven and James Heyman, expanded its facilities and moved in 1916 to Fjällgatan. A separate gynaecological division was established in 1917, while tumour pathology and radiophysics research divisions followed in 1924. The clinic also developed a national public-service role: at Forssell’s request, the Swedish government agreed to provide free transportation to Radiumhemmet for patients travelling from anywhere in Sweden, a policy described as continuing in the reference material. Radiumhemmet’s influence grew through its clinical methods and its systematic collection of patient outcomes. The Stockholm method for treating cervical tumours, associated with Forssell and Heyman, became influential internationally. In 1920 the institution created archival and statistical functions that enabled long-term analysis of complete patient cohorts rather than relying only on individual case reports. This approach supported the development of evidence-based radiotherapy and helped establish Radiumhemmet as both a treatment centre and an academic institution. The King Gustav V Jubilee Fund, established in 1928 to mark the king’s seventieth birthday, provided a major new source of support for cancer clinics and medical research. Its activities helped inspire cancer institutions in Gothenburg and Lund and contributed to the creation of the Karolinska Hospital. In 1936 Radiumhemmet, together with its radiopathology and radiophysics institutes, moved to the new university complex. It subsequently became state-owned and was integrated into the institutional structure that later developed into Karolinska University Hospital. The centre expanded its diagnostic and therapeutic scope over the twentieth century. An X-ray diagnostics division was added in 1940, and from the 1940s through the 1960s services were modernised while some basic research, radiation biology and radiation-protection functions were separated from the clinical institution. Following a national reorganisation of cancer services, Radiumhemmet became a centre for non-surgical cancer care in 1975, covering radiotherapy as well as prevention, early detection and psychosomatic treatment. At that time it had 124 beds and treated approximately 450–500 outpatients per day. Administrative responsibility changed in 1982, when the Riksdag transferred responsibility for Karolinska Hospital from the national government to Stockholm County. The Radiumhemmet building was renovated in 1984 and extended in 1988. From the 1980s onward, the institution faced public-sector funding constraints, including difficulty obtaining or repairing equipment and lengthy waits for radiotherapy appointments. Staffing reductions were still reported in 2015. Since 2011, Radiumhemmet has been associated with Regional Cancer Centre Stockholm/Gotland. In late 2015, Stockholm County Council approved a proposal to redistribute non-surgical cancer care in the region among Radiumhemmet, a new comprehensive cancer centre at Södersjukhuset and a clinic at Saint Göran Hospital. Radiumhemmet therefore remains best understood as a historic clinical and research institution within Sweden’s publicly organised oncology system, rather than as a standalone brand with conventional commercial products.
History
Radiumhemmet emerged from early twentieth-century experiments with radium and X-ray medicine at Serafimerlasarett in Stockholm. A radium diagnostic laboratory was established there in 1903. In 1906 it was moved from the medical department to the surgical department, where Gösta Forssell, a physician with an interest in radiotherapy, became its director. In 1910 the work was reorganised as Radiumhemmet, an independent institution supported by charitable gifts and operated under the Swedish Cancer Society. The name, meaning “Radium Home,” was selected to make the institution appear welcoming to patients. The first Radiumhemmet occupied an eight-room rented flat at 10 Scheelegatan in Kungsholmen. It had sixteen beds and one X-ray therapy unit. Early outcomes in gynaecological cancer helped attract financial support from Stockholm Municipality, supplemented by a contribution from Queen Victoria. Patient attendance increased from 342 in 1911 to 742 in 1914. Forssell recruited Elis Berven and James Heyman, and in 1916 the institution moved to 23 Fjällgatan, where it had twice as many beds and more X-ray equipment. In 1917 the work was divided into a gynaecological section led by Heyman and a general clinic headed by Berven. The Swedish government also agreed to provide free transport for patients travelling to Radiumhemmet from elsewhere in Sweden. Research was central to the institution from the beginning. Forssell published early treatment results in 1909, and the work was presented internationally in Paris in 1910. Forssell and Heyman developed and promoted the Stockholm method for cervical tumours, which became an influential approach in gynaecological radiotherapy. In 1920 Radiumhemmet created archival and statistical functions for systematic patient follow-up. Two research divisions, devoted to tumour pathology and radiophysics, were added in 1924. The King Gustav V Jubilee Fund, created in 1928 to celebrate the king’s seventieth birthday, provided more than five million kronor for clinics and medical research. It supported the development of cancer institutions in Gothenburg and Lund and contributed to the founding of the Karolinska Hospital. In 1936 Radiumhemmet and its radiopathology and radiophysics institutes moved to the new university complex. The move marked its transition into a state-owned academic medical institution. In 1938 it became a division of the hospital organisation that later became Karolinska University Hospital. An X-ray diagnostics division was added in 1940. Between the 1940s and 1960s the institution modernised and extended its services, while some basic research, radiation biology and radiation-protection functions were separated from the clinical organisation. A proposed reorganisation of Karolinska Hospital later raised concerns that Radiumhemmet might be reduced largely to radiotherapy and records. Instead, a national restructuring of cancer treatment in 1974 led to a broader model based on anatomical specialisation. In 1975 Radiumhemmet became a centre for non-surgical cancer care, including cancer treatment, prevention, early detection and psychosomatic services. It then had 124 beds and saw roughly 450 to 500 outpatients each day. In 1982 responsibility for Karolinska Hospital moved from the Swedish state to Stockholm County. The Radiumhemmet building was renovated in 1984 and extended in 1988. Later decades brought financial and operational pressure. Funding shortages reportedly affected equipment procurement and repairs, and radiotherapy patients faced waits of up to six weeks. Layoffs were still reported in 2015. Since 2011 Radiumhemmet has been part of Regional Cancer Centre Stockholm/Gotland. Roger Henriksson, appointed chief physician at Radiumhemmet in 2009, was associated with the regional centre’s leadership. In the 1990s, research funds connected with Radiumhemmet helped establish Cancer Centrum Karolinska under the leadership of then-head Ulrik Ringborg. The institution’s research funding also draws on the original Swedish Cancer Society endowment and the King Gustav V Jubilee Fund. The reference material states that Radiumhemmets forskningsfonder distributed approximately 53 million kronor annually in 2016, although this dossier does not treat that figure as current financial data. In late 2015 Stockholm County Council approved a plan to redistribute non-surgical cancer care among Radiumhemmet, a new comprehensive cancer centre at Södersjukhuset and a clinic at Saint Göran Hospital.
- 2011
Association with Regional Cancer Centre Stockholm/Gotland
[1]Radiumhemmet became part of the regional cancer-centre structure for Stockholm and Gotland.
- 1988
Building extended
[1]The premises were expanded after the 1984 renovation.
- 1984
Building renovated
[1]The Radiumhemmet building underwent a major renovation.
- 1975
Expanded mandate for non-surgical cancer care
[1]Radiumhemmet became a centre for non-surgical treatment, prevention, early detection and psychosomatic care.
- 1940
X-ray diagnostics division added
[1]Diagnostic radiology became a separate part of the institution’s expanding clinical services.
- 1938
Integration into Karolinska
[1]Radiumhemmet became a division of what is now Karolinska University Hospital.
- 1936
Move to the university complex
[1]Radiumhemmet and its associated institutes moved to the new university complex and became state-owned.
- 1928
King Gustav V Jubilee Fund established
[1]A major royal jubilee fund supported cancer clinics and research and helped shape Sweden’s future oncology infrastructure.
- 1924
Tumour pathology and radiophysics divisions created
[1]The institution broadened its academic base by establishing dedicated research divisions.
- 1920
Patient archive and statistics department added
[1]Systematic records and outcome statistics enabled longer-term analysis of patient cohorts.
Products and positioning
A historic Swedish academic oncology institution combining specialised non-surgical cancer care, radiotherapy, clinical follow-up and cancer research within the Karolinska University Hospital system.
Oncology treatment · 1910
Radiotherapy
Radiumhemmet’s defining clinical service is non-surgical cancer treatment using radiotherapy and related radiation-medicine approaches. The institution’s historical work included radium and X-ray therapy, while its later mandate covered broader radiotherapy-based oncology care within Karolinska University Hospital.
Specialised cancer care · 1910
Gynaecological oncology
Treatment and research in gynaecological cancers became one of Radiumhemmet’s most influential areas. The institution’s early clinical results and the Stockholm method for cervical tumours helped establish its international reputation in gynaecological radiotherapy.
Medical research · 1920
Cancer research and follow-up
Radiumhemmet has maintained a research role alongside clinical care, including radiophysics, radiopathology, radiation biology, treatment outcomes and systematic patient follow-up. Its archives and statistics department, created in 1920, supported cohort-based evaluation of cancer treatment.
Brand decisions
2015
Redistribute regional non-surgical cancer careStrategyBackground
Stockholm County considered changes to the regional organisation of non-surgical oncology services.
Action taken
The county council accepted a proposal dividing care among Radiumhemmet, a new comprehensive cancer centre at Södersjukhuset and a clinic at Saint Göran Hospital.
Aftermath
The decision altered the institutional division of cancer services in the Stockholm region.
1975
Adopt broader non-surgical cancer-care mandateStrategyBackground
Sweden reorganised cancer treatment around centres with specialised internal functions and anatomical areas.
Action taken
Radiumhemmet became a centre for non-surgical cancer treatment, prevention, early detection and psychosomatic care.
Aftermath
The institution operated at substantial scale, with 124 beds and approximately 450–500 outpatients per day at the time.
Sources1 sources
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