Your questions,
our answers

Appointments are given according to how serious and urgent the situation is. A suspicious finding or a recently diagnosed cancer is seen quickly. A non-urgent request may wait longer. Our medical secretaries assess each request as it arrives.

No. You can book an appointment directly.

Yes, by Swiss basic health insurance (LAMal), under the terms of your policy — deductible and co-payment. For any question about your situation, our medical secretaries can advise you before the appointment.

Yes. Our medical secretaries will contact you to arrange the details. If you are not insured in Switzerland, they will explain the cover or payment arrangements before the appointment.

In French and English.

In building L, 22 chemin des Grangettes, across the road (postal address: 7 chemin des Grangettes – Bâtiment L, 1224 Chêne-Bougeries). Go straight to building L — there is no need to go through reception. Tram 12 and 17, Grangettes stop; Grangettes car park, paid parking.
See access details

Your images and reports: the CD of your mammogram, ultrasound or MRI, the biopsy result if there is one, and your doctor’s letter if they have written one.

Yes. You are welcome to come with the person of your choice.

In consultation. Dr Monnier explains your results, and the options that follow from them, in person.

Yes. If you give the name of your GP, a letter is sent to them.

It involves taking a few samples of tissue with a needle, under local anaesthetic, and is not usually very painful. In the vast majority of cases, it makes a precise diagnosis possible.

It can cause discomfort or a feeling of pressure, sometimes briefly painful, for a few seconds. The radiation dose is very low, and the benefit of a well-indicated examination far outweighs that risk.

In many cases, yes. Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) is possible when, among other factors, the size of the tumour relative to the size of the breast allows it. Oncoplastic techniques (which combine cancer surgery and plastic surgery to keep a harmonious shape) also allow the breast to be preserved while aiming for the best possible aesthetic result. You decide together with your surgeon and the team of specialists.
The operations

A family history may justify a genetic counselling consultation, especially if the cancer occurred before age 50, if several family members are affected, if there has been cancer in both breasts or breast cancer in a man, or if there has been ovarian cancer in the family. The test looks for a mutation in predisposition genes (BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2…); when possible, it is first offered to the affected relative. The result, which is not always conclusive, helps adapt monitoring or preventive measures.
Personalised screening

Integrative medicine combines conventional medicine (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy…) with evidence-informed complementary approaches — nutrition, tailored exercise, stress management, acupuncture, cognitive behavioural therapy. The goal is to improve quality of life and reduce the side effects of treatment. Tailored exercise is also associated with a lower risk of recurrence. These approaches can be offered at the Grangettes–Hirslanden Breast Centre; they are not always covered by basic health insurance.