Read in | English | Español | Français | Deutsch | Português | Italiano | 日本語 | 한국어 | 简体中文 | 繁體中文 | العربية | Dansk | Nederlands | Filipino | Finnish | Ελληνικά | עִבְרִית | हिन्दी | Bahasa | Norsk | Русский | Svenska | Magyar | Polski | Română | Türkçe

Oncology Ethical Issues

There are a number of recurring ''ethical questions'' and ''dilemmas'' in oncological practice. These include:

  • What information to give the patient regarding disease extent/progression/prognosis.
  • Entry into clinical trials, especially in the face of terminal illness.
  • Withdrawal of active treatment.
  • "Do Not Resuscitate" orders and other end of life issues.

These issues are closely related to the patients' personality, religion, culture, personal, and family life. The answers are rarely black and white. It requires a degree of sensitivity and very good communication on the part of the oncology team to address these problems properly.

Further Reading


This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Oncology" All material adapted used from Wikipedia is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Wikipedia® itself is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.