Ethical and legal issues in the treatment of children with cancer

Authors:
  • JTJohn T. Truman
    John T. Truman
  • JBJonathan Brant
    Jonathan Brant
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Abstract
The treating physician's ethical and legal responsibilities to a child with cancer often merge. On the one hand, there is a responsibility to the parents to keep them informed of the risks and benefits of proposed treatment modalities and to obtain their informed consent. On the other hand, there is an independent obligation to the child. Where consent is unreasonably withheld and the child's interests are jeopardized, it is the physician's responsibility to bring the matter to the courts.