Campaign "Breast. Forward." campaign warns of regression in breast cancer diagnostics

Today sees the launch of the nationwide campaign "Breast. Forward.", which is campaigning for the preservation of modern, minimally invasive diagnostic procedures for breast cancer in Switzerland. A broad coalition of medical associations and industry partners is warning that tariff reforms could expose patients to unnecessary and stressful operations in the future.

Tariff reform jeopardizes gentle diagnostic procedures

The core concern of the campaign is the new tariff structure (TARDOC and outpatient flat rates), which has been in force since January 1, 2026. As a result, the costs of the modern and gentle vacuum biopsy, an established, minimally invasive procedure for clarifying abnormalities in mammography or MRI, are no longer adequately reimbursed. As a result, practices and hospitals can hardly offer this method economically.

For women with a suspicious change in the breast, this means a serious step backwards: instead of an outpatient vacuum biopsy under local anesthesia, which leaves hardly any scars, there is now the threat of a surgical procedure in the operating room under general anesthesia.

"We risk a relapse into outdated methods, while our neighboring countries regard minimally invasive diagnostics as standard," explains PD Dr. med. Nadja Mamisch, Co-President of the MIBB. "For women, this means avoidable operations, longer recovery times, additional anxiety and visible scars. This contradicts the standards of modern healthcare and places an enormous burden on patients."

National petition demands adjustment of tariffs

The campaign "Breast. Forward." campaign aims to national petition and broad-based awareness-raising measures to draw attention to this problem. The initiators are calling on the political decision-makers to urgently recalculate the outpatient flat rates (in particular C09.50A and C09.50B). The aim is to ensure that modern, gentle breast cancer diagnostics remain accessible to all women in Switzerland in the future.

Becton Dickinson (BD), a leading global medical technology company and partner of the campaign, emphasizes the urgency: "This is an issue that concerns me personally, as well as many other women. We all want to have the certainty of receiving the best possible and most gentle treatment. We want to play an active role in shaping the future of health and put the individual at the center of this. That is why we are concerned when proven, minimally invasive procedures are pushed out of the system and women may have to undergo unnecessary surgery instead. We strongly support this campaign to ensure access to these important therapies that protect quality of life," says Susanne Hubert, Country Business Leader for Germany, Switzerland and Austria at BD.

Urgent messages should mobilize people to take action

In order to reach a broad public, the campaign launch will be accompanied by a comprehensive, multimedia advertising campaign. With powerful and sometimes provocative messages such as "The reform leaves scars" or "Karin didn't need a breast operation", the campaign will be visible on posters, on social media and on screens in doctors' surgeries and pharmacies. All measures are aimed at informing the public and mobilizing them to sign the petition on the campaign website.

The public is called upon to sign the petition on the official campaign website and thus send a strong signal for modern and patient-friendly healthcare.

"Breast. Forward." is an initiative launched by MIBB (Minimally Invasive Breast Biopsy working group) and supported by leading organizations such as the Swiss Society of Senology (SGS), the Swiss Society of Pathology (SGPath) and industry partners such as Becton Dickinson (BD). The campaign promotes access to innovative breast cancer diagnostics and care in Switzerland.