Switzerland has been the subject of wild rumours over the past few months, with many online claiming that it has become the first country to ban mammograms. Here’s where these claims come from, and whether they are true.
Rumours spreading about regular breast screenings in Switzerland
In recent weeks and months, there has been an upswell of people on the internet claiming that Switzerland has banned mammograms. Though posts vary, most focus on the idea that the country has banned healthcare providers from offering regular breast screenings for medical reasons.
The post claimed that 50 to 60 percent of positive mammogram results are fake. They also claim that breast screenings themselves cause breast cancer, because of the radiation used during the screening process.
Mammograms are recommended in Switzerland, says FOPH
These claims are, of course, completely false, with the Federal Office of Public Health confirming to Euronews that there is no such ban on mammograms. A spokesperson noted that screening programmes are set up by Swiss cantons, and all women over 50 are recommended to get regular mammograms.
“There is no risk that you're going to develop cancer because of the irradiation of the mammography," Evandro de Azambuja, head of the Medical Support Team at the Jules Bordet Institute, told Euronews. Julia Schwarz from the Swiss Cancer League in Bern added that there are some cases "where you see a flight attendant has more radiation during one year of work than you get with a mammogram".
False positives claim highly misleading, says doctor
In regard to false positives, WHO expert Partha Basu told the website that the claim is highly misleading. The doctor explained that cancer treatment never commences on the basis of a mammogram, as every positive case must be confirmed by a highly accurate biopsy.
“A screening test is just to identify who has a high risk of having a disease, and who has a low risk of having a disease," Basu said. He concluded by recommending that every woman in a risk group be tested: “The benefit of mammography is huge: it reduces the mortality from breast cancer by 40 percent…the earlier you detect cancer, the better the prognosis is for the patient."
Where do these claims about Switzerland come from?
As to where these claims originate, the most popular source sharing the misinformation comes from an older post on the platform X. It uses a study from the Swiss Medical Board in 2014, a non-government advisory group, that recommended phasing out mammograms for those with no cancer symptoms. These claims were heavily disputed by the scientific community.
The post itself comes from a user who, among other things, claims that they were cured of breast cancer via changes in lifestyle and the use of cannabis oils - which they also sell. To be clear, while the National Cancer Institute emphasise that healthy habits can be helpful to moderate the symptoms of the disease, they cannot cure cancer.