4th MSD Cancer Care Survey 2024* of Switzerland shows: Significantly enhancing education, prevention and early detection
02.04.2025 08:00 CEST
Lucerne/Berne, April 2, 2025 – For the fourth time, the research institute gfs.bern has conducted a representative survey of the population on behalf of MSD Switzerland (Merck Sharp & Dohme AG) on the quality of cancer care. The results show that there is a clear disparity between the necessity of preventive measures and their actual implementation. Furthermore, the general public has little to no idea which preventive medical check-ups are paid for by whom and for which target groups they are recommended. Education, prevention and early detection must be strengthened to realize the full potential of cancer care.
«Early detection and prevention remain key concerns, with the majority of respondents considering these to be essential. Despite this high level of endorsement, some measures, such as HPV vaccination or preventive lung cancer screening, are less well known and utilized.» says Lukas Golder, Co-Director of the research institute gfs.bern. «Mammography is perceived as more important in French-speaking Switzerland than in German-speaking Switzerland. HPV vaccination is considered to be similarly important in all language regions.»
One of the key findings of the 4th Cancer Care Survey 2024 is the large discrepancy between the importance of preventive measures and their implementation. While all preventive measures are considered «important», only some have actually been taken advantage of at least once: a cervical smear was performed at least once by 79% and mammography by more than half of the respondents. Fewer than half have ever had a skin check for skin cancer prevention (40%), colon cancer screening 39%, or a PSA test 38%. Only a small minority have been vaccinated against HPV (15%) or undergone lung cancer screening (9%).
First concrete data on early detection measures
In a representative survey conducted from October 14 to 29, 2024, the research institute gfs.bern interviewed 1,250 people throughout Switzerland by telephone or online on behalf of MSD Switzerland. When it comes to early detection measures (e.g. cancer screening) and early treatment initiation in the case of cancer, around 90% of respondents rate these as being «very important» oder «generally important» . There is also a high level of acceptance of the preventive measures specific to women: 93% consider cervical smears («Pap test» for the early detection of possible changes in the cervix) to be «very important» or «generally important»; 89% consider mammography (X-ray of the breast for the early detection of breast cancer) to be «very important» or «generally important». The specific preventive measures for men receive slightly less approval: 83% consider self-examination for testicular cancer to be «very or generally important», while 70% consider the so-called «PSA test» (blood test for prostate-specific antigen) for the early detection of prostate cancer to be «very or generally important». Colon cancer screening, early lung cancer detection and vaccination against HPV (human papillomavirus) are endorsed by between 68% and 83%. – In women and men, an infection with HP viruses can cause genital warts and HPV-related precancerous lesions and cancers, in particular cervical cancer, but also vaginal cancer, penile cancer, anal cancer and oropharyngeal cancer.
Insufficient knowledge about cost reimbursement
For many respondents, it is not clear who covers the costs of cancer screening. A majority (54%) believe that cervical smears are covered by supplementary health insurance, as are mammography (47%) and colon cancer screening (39%). 65% of respondents do not know who covers the costs of lung cancer screening, and 56% are unsure about HPV vaccination. Although it is unclear to many exactly who will cover the costs, most people have a clear opinion on the matter (81%): provided that cancer screening proves to be meaningful, the costs should be covered in full by the state as part of the OKP (mandatory health insurance). There are significant differences in the answers to this question between young and old respondents, between the three language regions as well as in terms of political orientation.
The vast majority want preventive measures to be strengthened
Opinions on the debates surrounding the future of the Swiss healthcare system vary widely – depending on gender, origin, region, education and political orientation. Nevertheless, there is a general trend: 92% of respondents are clearly in favor of strengthening awareness, 88% are also very clearly in favor of intensifying prevention, and 82% are in favor of strengthening preventive measures. There is also broad support for digitization (77%), the introduction of a public standard health insurance fund (70%) and the reorganization of the hospital landscape (64%). The introduction of a basic «economy» health insurance fund is hardly convincing. (45%). Depending on the sub-group, the various ideas met with more or less approval among the respondents. Finally, the respondents were asked to indicate which three ideas they generally liked best. The introduction of a standard health insurance fund emerged as the top favorite (53%), closely followed by the standardization of premiums, or a reduction in premiums (45%) and the strengthening of prevention (41%).
Good quality of care, but longer waiting times
The perceived quality of Swiss cancer care again remained extremely high in this survey year. In fact, it is even better than in the previous years (2021–2023). The system was rated «excellent», «very good» or «generally good» by 87% of respondents. Only 3% assessed the quality as «poor». Around 10% of respondents (n=122) had been diagnosed with cancer less than a year ago. First, it was determined which cancer diagnosis was involved. The most frequently mentioned type of cancer was breast cancer (40%), followed by skin cancer (28%), prostate cancer (14%), colorectal cancer (8%), and head and neck cancer (4%); lung cancer was mentioned by 1% and kidney cancer by 2%. Patients affected by cancer rated the quality of care as even better overall than in 2023: plus 3 percentage points («excellent») and plus 2 percentage points («very good»). In a year-on-year comparison (2022 and 2021), newer forms of therapy continued to be used significantly less frequently than chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The survey confirms the data from previous years regarding the quality of care: 87% of respondents rate the quality of cancer care as «excellent», «very good» or «generally good». Only 3% expressed a negative opinion, whereas 10% were unable to give an assessment. Hospital care (87%) and the provision of medication and therapy (75%) received a high level of approval from those affected or those with a keen interest in health topics in 2024. The time to start treatment and the work in cancer prevention and early detection showed a slight improvement. The length of time until a patient receives a consultation with a specialist, general information about the illness and the coordination between departments have tended to deteriorate in a long-term comparison. The provision of medication and therapy is rated better in German-speaking Switzerland than in French-speaking Switzerland and the Ticino.
Summary of the 2024 survey
In 2024, cancer care in Switzerland is perceived as being exceptionally good. The ratings show a high level of satisfaction, particularly among those affected by cancer, with significantly more positive assessments than in previous years. In particular, the medical quality, the provision of medication and therapy, and the care in hospitals are emphasized. Nevertheless, specific challenges remain, notably in the coordination between care facilities and psychological support.
The best ratings are given for medical care in the hospital, drug therapy and preventive measures. Despite these strengths, the analysis shows that aspects such as follow-up care, the time to diagnosis and to the start of treatment, as well as support for relatives still need to be developed further. Psychological support and better coordination between the parties involved are still cited as key areas for improvement.
Above all, those affected report financial burdens due to increased living costs, higher insurance costs and a decline in income. In addition, it has been shown that psychological consequences can also have a significant impact on the quality of life. These consequences not only affect those directly involved, but also their relatives, who have to cope with similar challenges.
The importance of core medical services, such as access to therapies and comprehensible information, is consistently rated as «high». Psychosocial and financial support services are also important, but are considered less critical. Specialized services, such as self-help groups or programs for cancer survivors, address specific target groups and are overall perceived as less of a priority.
Early detection and prevention remain key concerns, with the majority of respondents considering these to be essential. Despite this high level of endorsement, some measures, such as HPV vaccination or preventive lung cancer screening, are less well known and utilized. This indicates a disparity between the importance of these measures and their actual implementation. It appears that information is lacking in a number of areas: be it in the area of early detection and prevention, cost assumption, therapy options or screening measures. In part, up to two-thirds of the population do not know who covers the costs of certain screening measures. Overall, this suggests that more information and education are needed to explain the purpose of early detection, early onset of treatment and preventive measures.
The respondents favor a stronger focus on prevention, education and the standardization of health care for the future of the health care system in Switzerland. Ideas such as the introduction of a standard health insurance fund, but also greater digitization, also meet with broad approval. Even if there is resistance, rationalizing the hospital landscape would be the best way to reduce healthcare costs. At the same time, however, reorganization of the hospital landscape is the measure that received the second-lowest approval rating in Switzerland.
* MSD Cancer Care Survey 2024, Early detection and prevention: A possible key to better care. gfs.bern. December 2024. Download the full report at (report in German): https://cockpit.gfsbern.ch/de/cockpit/krebsversorgungsmonitor-2024/. Also available upon request from the Media Contact below.
gfs.bern Research Institute
The research institute that bears overall responsibility for the survey, gfs.bern ag, can draw on a long tradition of empirical social research. Founded in 1959 as the Gesellschaft zur Förderung der empirischen Sozialforschung der Schweiz (GfS), it started operating as a separate business unit of GfS-Forschungsinstitut AG from 1986 with the aim of conducting social empirical research with a focus on politics and communication research. The unit became its own company in 2004 as gfs.bern ag.
gfs.bern sees itself as a methodical, full-service provider with clear areas of specialism. The company’s market presence aims to achieve quality leadership in applied social research (in concrete terms: survey research with face-to-face, phone, online, and written interviews) and has been able to maintain this advantage in analysis to political opinion-forming processes for around 20 years. As such, gfs.bern has played a pivotal role in shaping empirical social research in terms of social policy and democratic decision-making processes in Switzerland. gfs.bern also has many years of experience in monitoring politics and policy processes. Holding teaching positions at the universities of Zürich, Berne and Fribourg, as well as at various higher education institutes, means we can contribute our findings to the world of education and to reflect upon our own work in an academic setting.
For more information, please visit www.gfsbern.ch.
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.
Media contact gfs.bern
Lukas Golder, Co-Director gfs.bern
lukas.golder@gfsbern.ch | Tel. +41 31 311 62 10
Media Contact MSD Switzerland
Antonio Ligi, Head of Communications Switzerland
media.switzerland@msd.com | Tel. +41 76 203 44 96
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CH-NON-02901, 03/2025