Ethics in Oncology: Modern Concerns for an Age-Old Disease

Abstract

Cancer has been plaguing patients since it was first described in ancient Egyptian writings over 3,500 years ago. Although physicians have been treating this disease since antiquity, it remains a major cause of death and suffering throughout the world. In fact, it was the second most common cause of death in the United States in 2004, accounting for over 23 percent of all mortality [1]. This infamously deadly disease is considered so destructive that the American Heritage Dictionary defines it not only as a malignancy, but also as "a pernicious, spreading evil."