Go for it mate-easier for everyone, maybe euphemise the C word and perhaps the Swiss institution will be sensitive enough not to press the issue.

You could just say "undergoing medical treament" but these days that's more likely to sound like a euphemism for AIDS.

Can you just say that you have "some business to complete" in the US, that requires your presence? Hmm no, that might sound like jail time.

Tricky one. I think you have no moral obligation to reveal your illness, except if they directly ask you why you have to remain in the US. In which case a frank and full explanation is probably better than being over mysterious, not least because you can then emphasise the fact that this is a kind of cancer one can recover fully from.

I think you have no moral obligation to reveal your illness, except if they directly ask you why you have to remain in the US.

I would argue not even then. Since you're fully recovering, the fact that you had cancer will not reduce your utility to them with respect to the project they have in mind. Therefore, it is irrelevant and need not be revealed.

You should not, of course, lie but you don't have to blurt out the truth in agonizing detail, either. Should they inquire why you're currently in the states, tell them you're visiting temporarily to take care of some personal and family business. I doubt they'd be rude enough to press you too far (nor should you allow them to). They're Swiss, after all.

Considering that they're Swiss and all, you should negotiate for some Swiss perks. Such as a nice, fat Swiss bank account, all the Swiss chocolate that the readers of Aqoul can eat, your personal Swiss Miss Extra Dark edition, an alp horn with which to annoy Iraqi currency speculators.

And, as for the cancer, unless it would adverselyimpact your job performance, you are under no obligation to notify them. You will, however, have to reveal some details when it comes time to enroll in their health care plan.