Success! First National Workshop for Families affected by genetic predisposition to cancer
On 17 May 2025, we welcomed 109 participants from 17 cantons to the first national workshop for families affected by a genetic predisposition to cancer. The event was hosted at the Paul Klee Center in Bern and was supported with funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation.
The one-day workshop brought together families, their support networks, medical experts, representatives from three patient support groups and Swiss researchers. The goals were to share information, better understand the challenges that families face, and exchange ideas in small groups. To learn more about the impact of the workshop, you can read the article published on the University of Basel, Department of Clinical Research website (June 2025).
In October 2025, the workshop was highlighted on the Department of Clinical Research podcast. The podcast host, Marilena Mattarelli, and Prof. Dr. Maria Katapodi discussed the importance of communicating scientific research to the public, as well as the positive outcomes from the workshop.
Integrative health retreat for women with gynaecological cancer
The University Hospital of Basel is offering an integrative health retreat, “Via Shalva“, for women with a history of gynaecological cancer. Upcoming dates: 1 – 7 June 2026 and 28 September – 4 October 2026. The registration details are available here (German only).
Project status
To date, 770 individuals have signed an informed consent and 588 individuals have completed the first survey. Of these, 462 are women and 126 are men. Almost all (95%) have agreed to be part of the cohort and will be contacted again within the next 18 – 24 months to provide updated health information. The mailing of the second survey was launched in March 2020 and continues until today to participants who have been in the cohort for at least 18 months. The mailing of the third survey successfully started in spring 2023 for participants who have been in the cohort for at least 36 months. We are now working on a fourth survey for participants who consent to continue their participation in the CASCADE study cohort.
Individual interviews or focus groups have taken place with 77 individuals who have shared their experiences with us. Additional interviews or focus groups are planned in 2026, where we will explore additional topics regarding decisions for risk management, medical surveillance, and engagement with digital tools for health-related information. We hope that you will be interested to participate in this part of the study.
» More information about the study
Additional Sites
Starting in 2026, the CASCADE study will be supported by five additional sites in Lausanne (CHUV), Lucerne (Canton Hospital of Lucerne), Olten (Canton Hospital of Solothurn), Sion (Canton Hospital of Valais), and Lindenhofgruppe (Canton of Bern). We warmly welcome our new collaborators and look forward to connecting with as many families concerned with hereditary forms of cancer as possible.
Participants can now self-refer to the CASCADE study
Since February 2026, the CASCADE study welcomes individuals who apply directly to the project leader to participate. To be eligible for self-referral, potential participants should be 18 years of age or older and living in Switzerland. Potential participants will also need to provide their genetic test results to the project leader to confirm eligibility. For more information, send an email to: swisscascade-nursing@unibas.ch.
Lottery
We greatly appreciate your participation in the CASCADE study. As a token of our appreciation, every January we randomly selected one participating code to receive a 300 CHF Manor voucher. The lucky participant selected for January 2026 lives in Winterthur. Congratulations!
DIALOGUE randomized controlled trial
The DIALOGUE trial is now complete with 191 individuals accepting participation. We are analyzing findings to examine whether participants preferred the longer or the shorter version of our digital platform. We hope we will be able to share our findings in fall of 2026. Thank you for your support!
Workshop
The CASCADE consortium organized an international workshop in Ascona, Switzerland, bringing together experts to discuss current challenges and effective ways to provide cancer genetic care. The workshop addressed key issues related to lifelong cancer surveillance and risk management in hereditary cancer syndromes, how to implement cascade testing, and unmet needs of individuals carrying pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants.
Study Protocol
The Protocol Paper describes the methodological approach of the CASCADE study and ensures transparency and scientific integrity. In addition, this article draws the scientific community’s attention to our research activities. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of our research partners to the scientific development of the CASCADE study.