In the event of a proven hereditary predisposition, women suffering from breast or ovarian cancer should be entitled to reimbursement of the costs of preventive operations, says the Swiss Cancer League.
It recently submitted a request to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) for the law to be revised accordingly.
At present, basic insurance covers the costs of surgical removal of the breast or ovary only in cases of BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, the Swiss Cancer League said in a press release on Tuesday. However, reimbursement is not provided for other mutations that entail a comparable risk.
Breast cancer is due to a genetic predisposition in 5-10% of cases. The rate rises to 10-20% for ovarian cancer. By surgically removing the affected organ, the risk of cancer is almost completely eliminated, the umbrella organisation said.
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