Physician and stakeholder perceptions of conflict of interest policies in oncology.

Purpose: The landscape of managing potential conflicts of interest (COIs) has evolved substantially across many disciplines in recent years, but rarely are the issues more intertwined with financial and ethical implications than in the health care setting. Cancer care is a highly technologic arena, with numerous physician-industry interactions. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recognizes the role of a professional organization to facilitate management of these interactions and the need for periodic review of its COI policy (Policy).

Can physicians refuse treatment to patients who smoke?

Irrespective of the "rightness" of smoking behavior, physicians have a duty to offer all patients appropriate anticancer therapy and supportive care and to help their patients become tobacco free.

When is standard treatment sufficiently active to make use of a placebo-controlled trial unethical?

Research has demonstrated that double blinding can lessen the potential for bias in study outcomes, such as perceiving a drug as more effective in the experimental arm of a study. Effective double-blinding techniques minimize the influence of investigator and patient expectations.

Medical errors: physician and institutional responsibilities.

When it comes to medical errors, honesty is always the best practice for your practice.