When cancer, pre-cancerous tumours and certain benign tumours (e.g. in the brain) are diagnosed, information about these tumours is reported to the registry of the canton of residence of the adult patients and, in the case of children and adolescents, to the national Childhood Cancer Registry in Bern.
By making their data available to the cancer registries, patients make an important contribution to the most comprehensive possible recording of all cases of disease. They help to improve care for everyone, to better understand the diseases and to better treat cancer.
The handling of cancer data is strictly regulated by law. Treating physicians are legally obliged to report information about the tumour to the cancer registry and to inform patients about this forwarding of data. Patients have the right to view their own data at any time and to object to the registration of data.