A 6 page research paper that examines ethical conflicts in research, focusing specifically problematic areas that have arisen in breast cancer research. A literature review is offered and then discussion addresses such issues as what this information reveals about various ethical conflict in research, such as patient consent, benefits to patients and society, therapeutic research, etc. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
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subjects and the public. Nevertheless, ethical issues arise. These issues can concern the personal feelings of practitioners, but most often, they concern implications from medical advancements that ethical guidelines have
yet to consider. The following examination of ethical conflicts focuses specifically problematic areas that have arisen in breast cancer research. A literature review is offered and then discussion addresses such
issues as what this information reveals about various ethical conflict in research, such as patient consent, benefits to patients and society, therapeutic research, etc. Literature review In her book,
The Mammography Controversy, author Madelon L. Finkel offers the case study of a 21-year-old single woman who developed a malignant breast lesion. Her surgeon felt that breast-conserving surgery with radiation
constituted an inferior treatment and, therefore, scheduled her for a radical mastectomy without discussing alternative courses of action with the patient (Gotzsche, 2005). However, the surgeon became anxious over the
ethical implications of not informing the patient fully as to options. When he did inform the woman of possible options, she postponed the surgery, educated herself and opted for
having a lumpectomy combined with radiation therapy (Gotzsche, 2005). While this case example does not pertain to breast cancer research per se, it does illustrate the way in which
personal opinion can affect human behavior, and the frequently complicated nature of ethics complications in cancer research. It also points out the extreme importance and significance of informed consent.
The model of informed consent that is currently utilized within the realm of contemporary clinical medicine is predicated upon the "principle of respect for autonomy" (Hallowell, et al, 2003, p.
74). However, this template becomes problematic when it is applied to genetic testing, such as for an inherited tendency toward breast cancer. This is because informed consent procedures overlook the