As a patient or legal representative, you have the right to object to your data or your child’s data being registered at any time.

If you would like to submit an objection, you need to let us know in writing, i.e. by sending us a letter or an e-mail. You can also use the obejction form to do this. Your written objection must contain the following information about the patient: first name and last name, address, date of birth, social security number (AHVN13). If you like, you can tell us why you are submitting this objection, but this is not compulsory. The written objection must be signed; a parent or legal representative should sign on behalf of children/adolescents under 18. Adult patients (over 18) should sign themselves. Objecting to your data being registered will not affect the way you or your child are treated. Once the Childhood Cancer Registry has received your written objection, it will inform you in writing that your objection has been noted.

Frequently asked questions

You can use the obejction form to do this. Your written objection must contain the following information about the patient: first name and last name, address, date of birth, social security number (AHVN13).

The Cancer Registration Act distinguishes between three scenarios

1. You submit an objection as a healthy person

As a healthy person you have the right to submit an objection for yourself or your child even before cancer has been diagnosed. If you or your child develop cancer later in life, the objection you submitted previously will be respected. The Childhood Cancer Registry will not register any data about you or your child. The Childhood Cancer Registry will only report the age in years at which the diagnosis was made, the gender, the place of residence and – where this information has been provided – the reason for the objection to the National Agency for Cancer Registration for statistical purposes.

2. You submit an objection during the “waiting period“

The waiting period is a three-month period starting on the day on which you were informed about cancer registration by the doctor (or another medical professional) treating you, respectively your child. If you submit an objection to the Childhood Cancer Registry within this three-month period, no data about you or your child will be registered. The Childhood Cancer Registry will only report the age in years at which the diagnosis was made, the gender, the place of residence and – where this information has been provided – the reason for the objection to the National Agency for Cancer Registration for statistical purposes.

3. You submit an objection after the waiting period has elapsed

If three months have passed since the doctor treating you (or a medical professional) informed you about cancer registration, the waiting period has elapsed. At this point the data reported to the Childhood Cancer Registry by the doctor has already been registered. If you submit an objection after the waiting period, your data will be anonymised. This means that it is no longer possible to identify a person from these data. Here too, the Childhood Cancer Registry will only report the age in years at which the diagnosis was made, the gender, the place of residence and – where this information has been provided – the reason for the objection to the National Agency for Cancer Registration for statistical purposes.

You can withdraw your objection at any time. To do this, simply contact a cantonal cancer registry or the Childhood Cancer Registry.

Your objection remains valid beyond your, respectively your child’s death or until you withdraw it.