About the organization
The Norwegian Head and Neck Cancer Organization, (formerly Norsk landsforening for laryngektomerte NLFL - in English the Norwegian National Association of Laryngectomees) is a nationwide organization with about 700 members and 6-7 regional branches.

Membership
The Association was founded in 1967. Members are former head and neck cancer patients, their caretakers and family. In addition to laryngectomees and people with a functional impairment as a result of cancer in the mouth and throat region, also the permanently tracheomized may join. The latter group usually has not had a history of cancer. The organization also welcomes professionals from the health services and speech therapists among its members.

Funding
The Norwegian Head and Neck Cancer Organization's activities are financed mainly through fundings from the Norwegian Cancer Society and from the Norwegian Directorate of Health. Among centrally organized activities the main event is our yearly national congress "Landskurset". The Annual General Meeting takes place during the congress.

Activities
An important activity is the organizing and training of patients' visitors to the larger hospitals, where patients who are to undergo a laryngectomy are offered a visit before and after surgery, from a "peer" who has already had a similar operation. For many years The Norwegian Head and Neck Cancer Organization also has arranged a rehabilitation and health care holiday for members, where the participants are selected on the basis of medical criteria. The organization also has a network of voluntary lecturers, offering a program of non-smoking lessons to schools all over the country.

Information
The newsletter Munn og Mæle (formerly NLFL-nytt) is published 2-4 times a year. There also is an electronic newsletter for automatic subscription from our home page. Otherways, main services to the members are through the activities of the regional branches where the focus is on social networking. On a national level, the Board works to represent the members interests vis-a-vis government and health authorities.

International
The Norwegian Head and Neck Cancer Organization is a member of CEL (Confédération Européenne des Laryngectomisés) and IAL (International Association of Laryngectomees). There also is a Nordic cooperation of laryngectomees organizations. Main activity for this a joint congress for the countries Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden every third year, last time in Tammerfors, Finland 2008. Norway will be hosting the next Nordic congress.

Cancer statistics
Each year, about one hundred Norwegians are diagnosed with cancer of the larynx. About one third of them are laryngectomized. The number of people who are diagnosed with other cancers of the head and neck area is nearly four times as high, and an unknown number of these have operations with disabling consequences as regards speech and eating. The Norwegian Head and Neck Cancer Organization is organizing both these groups and the number of members from each is about equal.

Social security
Laryngectomees in Norway receive a free digital speech aid, usually a Servox model electrolarynx. If there is no medical reason not to do so, they normally have a TEP prosthesis inserted. This, and necessary stoma HME filters, etc are paid by social security.

The Norwegian Head and Neck Cancer Organization cooperates closely with the Norwegian Cancer Society.