Seminars in Oncology
Volume 34, Issue 5 , Pages 435-443, October 2007

Ethical and Legal Aspects of Cancer Genetic Testing

  • Kenneth Offit

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, Clinical Genetics Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY, 10021, USA.
    • ,
  • Peter Thom

Clinical Genetics Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.

As a result of the increasing effectiveness of cancer screening and preventive interventions, ethical issues, as well as legal liabilities, are increasingly associated with cancer genetic testing. These issues include the possible “duty to warn” relatives of inherited cancer risk, the appropriateness of testing of children and embryos, equity of access to genetics services, and potential harms of testing including the risk of genetic discrimination. An approach to these and other ethical challenges will be presented, drawing not only on recent case law but also on a broader bioethical framework.

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 Supported by the Weissenbach, Southworth, Niehaus Family Fund, the Lymphoma Foundation, and the Koodish Fellowship.

PII: S0093-7754(07)00144-3

doi:10.1053/j.seminoncol.2007.07.007

Seminars in Oncology
Volume 34, Issue 5 , Pages 435-443, October 2007

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