Author | Paul R. Helft, MD

October 15, 2015

One of the more difficult topics to discuss concerning the ethics of healthcare is distributive justice-the fair distribution of benefits, risks, and costs.

January 15, 2015

A delirious head and neck cancer patient does not have the capacity to make treatment decisions. Can we begin palliative radiation therapy without his consent?

October 15, 2014

Should I give a patient with a carcinoma of unknown primary another dose of a study drug, since she is requesting to continue it? My reading of the trial protocol suggests no absolute restriction on giving another dose of the drug.

September 15, 2014

I was recently consulted concerning a patient in the ICU at my hospital with advanced breast cancer, but I soon realized there were much larger issues at stake. This woman is in her 50s and was diagnosed approximately 1 year ago with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.