Clinical Ethics — The Heart of Modern Cancer Care

The National Cancer Institute hosted a lecture titled "Clinical Ethics as a Tool for Improving the Quality of Cancer Care."

Speaker: Markiian Fetsych — MD, PhD, surgical oncologist and breast specialist (Expert Hospital), assistant professor at the Department of Oncology (Lviv National Medical University), Master's in Bioethics and doctoral candidate (Loyola University Chicago).

"There is a significant gap in the medical education system: doctors are taught to diagnose and treat disease, but they aren't always taught how to treat the person with respect and empathy," the speaker emphasized.

Four Principles of Clinical Ethics:

1. Autonomy — the patient's right to receive complete and accurate information and to make independent decisions about their treatment.
2. Beneficence — helping and improving the patient's condition, avoiding unnecessary interventions and restrictions on access to treatment.
3. Non-maleficence — refraining from actions that could cause harm, even with the best of intentions.
4. Justice — equal access to care without discrimination and with confidentiality maintained.

Participants also discussed examples of ethical violations in medicine and opportunities for studying clinical ethics both in Ukraine and abroad.

At the National Cancer Institute, we strive to make sure that care is not only professional but also humane, with respect and support at every stage of treatment.