Informed Consent for RTD: A Closer Look at Ethical Issues

Abstract

Drawing on the structure of the informed consent process provided in Chapter 7, this chapter explores the ethical issues that arise from Rapid Tissue Donation (RTD) decision-making. Guided by altruism, RTD represents a special agreement between cancer patients and science, which is regulated by respect and responsibility. This framework of values underpinning RTD is crucial for the ethical implications associated with this technique to be understood and appreciated within their context. These implications pertain to discussion about consent withdrawal, to how collected samples will be identified, and to their possible uses in research. Appropriate considerations will be given to incidental findings and to how blood relatives might be affected by RTD patients’ decisions. The absence of concrete chances of translation into new treatment available for the donor patient upon RTD consent will be explored, as will the importance of an adequate appreciation of differences between kinds of benefits that might be associated with an intervention, and with RTD in particular. Different forms of altruism that might drive a donation will also be considered, as this aspect is extremely relevant to RTD. Finally, compensation for RTD donation and operational aspects such as cadaver restitution to the family will be discussed. As in the previous chapters, the aim of this chapter is to analyze relevant issues relating to RTD, without focusing on specific legal frameworks. Ethical considerations raised within this book can then be adapted to and harmonized with legal dimensions in force.