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World Cancer Day 2026: The prevention gap in Switzerland must be closed

Lucerne, February 4, 2026 – On World Cancer Day 2026, MSD reaffirms its commitment to advancing cancer care and prevention in Switzerland. This year’s theme, “United by Unique – Every Story Counts“, emphasizes the importance of putting people at the center of the fight against cancer.¹ While scientific progress continues to offer new hope, prevention and early detection remain the most effective means² to reduce the cancer burden.

In Switzerland, investment in prevention lags behind international best practices.² Despite clear evidence that early detection of cancer can save lives and reduce healthcare costs³, funding of national prevention efforts remain limited.⁴ In the 2025 Public Health Index, which compares European countries in terms of preventive measures in the areas of tobacco, alcohol, nutrition and physical activity, Switzerland ranks at the bottom of the list with 32.4 out of 100 points.²

48,000 new cancer cases annually and no National Strategy against Cancer

According to the Swiss Cancer League’s latest figures from November 2025 “Cancer in Switzerland: important figures”⁵, 21,644 women and 26,496 men were diagnosed with cancer in Switzerland (data source: Federal Statistical Office⁶), thus an average of 48,140 new cancer cases emerge each year. However, since the “National Strategy against Cancer” (NSK) expired at the end of 2020, there is no longer a nationally coordinated strategy to combat cancer.⁷ Access to cancer screening also varies considerably between cantons, a disparity increasingly viewed as a matter of health inequity in health policy discussions.⁸ A national cancer strategy that provides uniform access to cancer screening programs, such as breast cancer screening, could make a key contribution to improving the situation for patients.

Cancer prevention: Falling behind internationally

From an international perspective, Switzerland currently has different structural conditions in the area of cancer prevention. According to the International Cancer Control Partnership (ICCP) – a coalition of organizations dedicated to cancer control – more than 120 countries now have a national cancer plan.⁹ With the “Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan” the European Union pursued the goal of enabling 90 percent of the European population to have access to certain structured early detection programs by 2025.¹⁰ This is an objective that could also serve as a guiding example for Switzerland.

Breast cancer screening is not used by everyone because on one hand they don’t feel personally addressed – they don’t experience symptoms and think it doesn’t concern them – on the other hand we have a patchwork in Switzerland when it comes to screening programs.
Stefanie de Borba, Media Spokesperson Swiss Cancer League

Cancer care in Switzerland: Public calls for stronger focus on prevention & education

The fourth gfs.bern survey, commissioned by MSD Switzerland (MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme AG), reveals a significant gap between the preventive measures needed to combat cancer and those implemented. Respondents are calling for more prevention, better education, and a more consistent healthcare system across Switzerland.⁸

Prevention example: Breast cancer screening

In Switzerland, women aged 50 to 74 years are invited every two years to participate in breast cancer screening through cantonal programs. Organized breast cancer screening programs are currently (as of February 2026) established in 16 Swiss cantons. Four cantons (AG, GL, LU, SH) are in the planning phase. In six cantons (NW, OW, SZ, UR, ZG, ZH), no organized breast cancer screening programs exist.¹¹ In cantons without a program, responsibility for breast cancer early detection lies with the woman herself or with her physician.

Links for further information

• Worldcancerday, www.worldcancerday.org
• Krebsliga Schweiz, www.krebsliga.ch
• swisscancerscreening, www.swisscancerscreening.ch/de/angebote-in-ihrem-kanton
• MSD Oncology Suisse: https://www.msd.ch/en/home/about-us/areas-of-focus/oncology/
• MSD Gesundheit Schweiz: Portal für Krebspatientinnen und Patienten, https://www.msd-gesundheit.ch/de/krebs

MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme in Switzerland

In Switzerland, MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme employs over 1,000 people at five sites in the cantons of Lucerne and Zurich. At the site in Zurich, in “The Circle”, MSD operates a global innovation and development hub. The main therapeutic areas of MSD are oncology, infectious diseases, and cardiometabolic diseases. We also have a broad portfolio of vaccines for the prevention of diseases in children, adolescents, and adults. At our site in Schachen, we manufacture medicines for global clinical trials and operate a forensic laboratory. In addition, MSD conducts almost 50 clinical trials annually in Switzerland alone. We take our responsibility to the local community seriously and have been involved for years in, among other things, the «Trendtage Gesundheit Luzern» and the «Alliance Health competence». In 2025, MSD received the «Top Employer Switzerland» award for the thirteenth time in a row.

For more information, please visit www.msd.ch, de.msd-animal-health.ch, www.msd-gesundheit.ch and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook und YouTube.

You can find this and other press releases on our website in the protected area for media professionals: https://www.msd.ch/en/home/news/.

References

1. Worldcanderday.org. Available at: https://www.worldcancerday.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/wcd25_impact_report_fa.pdf. Last accessed: 30.01.2026.
2. German Cancer Research Center in the Helmholtz Association (dkfz.) and AOK Federal Association The Health Insurance Fund AOK. Public Health Index 2025. Health protection in European comparison. Status: November 2025. Available at: https://www.aok.de/pp/public-health/index/#c62861. Last accessed: 30.01.2026.
3. World Health Organization (WHO). Early cancer diagnosis saves lives, cuts treatment costs. Available at: https://www.who.int/news/item/03-02-2017-early-cancer-diagnosis-saves-lives-cuts-treatment-costs.
   Last accessed: 30.01.2026.
4. Public Health Switzerland. The BAG cuts are short-sighted and contradict health policy goals. Available at: https://public-health.ch/de/news-de/2025/02/28/die-k%C3%BCrzungen-im-bag-sind-kurzsichtig-und-widersprechen-gesundheitspolitischen-zielen/. Last accessed: 30.01.2026.
5. Swiss Cancer League. Cancer in Switzerland: important figures. Available at: https://www.krebsliga.ch/ueber-krebs/zahlen-fakten/-dl-/fileadmin/downloads/sheets/zahlen-krebs-in-der-schweiz.pdf. Last accessed: 30.01.2026.
6. Federal Statistical Office. Cancer Monitoring Switzerland. Status and development of oncological diseases in Switzerland. Data status: 05.08.2025, published: 10.11.2025. Available at: https://krebs-monitoring.bfs.admin.ch/de/vergleich/neuerkrankungen/. Last accessed: 30.01.2026.
7. Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). National Strategy Against Cancer 2014-2020. Available at: https://www.bag.admin.ch/de/nationale-strategie-gegen-krebs-20142020. Last accessed: 30.01.2026.
8. MSD Cancer Care Monitor 2024, Early detection and prevention: Possible key to better care. gfs.bern. December 2024. Download the full report at: https://cockpit.gfsbern.ch/de/cockpit/krebsversorgungsmonitor-2024/, last accessed: 30.01.2026.
9. International Cancer Control Partnership (ICCP). Available at: https://www.iccp-portal.org/about-iccp/about-map#domain_2. Last accessed 30.01.2026.
10. European Commission. A cancer plan for Europe. Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Available at: https://commission.europa.eu/topics/public-health/european-health-union/cancer-plan-europe_en. Last accessed: 30.01.2026.
11. swisscancerscreening. Cancer screening programs in your region. Breast cancer. Available at: https://www.swisscancerscreening.ch/de/angebote-in-ihrem-kanton. Last accessed: 30.01.2026.

MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme AG, Werftestrasse 4, 6005 Lucerne. Switzerland.

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