The Ethics of Rapid Tissue Donation (RTD) (eBook)

This book offers a reflection on the central role that the ethics of informed consent plays in Rapid Tissue Donation (RTD). RTD is an advanced oncology procedure that involves the procurement, for research purposes, of 'fresh' tissues within two to six hours of a cancer patient's death. Since RTD involves the retrieval of tissues after death, and since the collected tissues are of great importance for medical research, the need for any form of informed consent to regulate this procedure has been questioned. This book argues for the necessity of informed consent to govern RTD, and it provides the reader with a bespoke informed consent process applicable to cancer patients. The analysis unfolds at the intersection between applied ethics, public health ethics, and clinical ethics, and it is informed by philosophical theories of informed consent and by the social implications of individual choices. By viewing medical issues relating to informed consent in oncology from an ethical perspective, the book combines philosophical analysis with discussion of concrete cancer-related issues. As a result, the book is suitable for readers interested in ethical reasoning as well as for those with a medical background. It contributes to contemporary research by offering an original analysis that relies on a rigorous philosophical approach to address innovative issues at the cutting edge of medical research and policy making.

Chiara Mannelli was born in Italy. She was awarded an MS in bioethics from Columbia University and a PhD in bioethics. Interested in the ethics of scientific and technological advances applied to the field of medicine, her research has mainly focused on informed consent in oncology research. She worked at the Candiolo Cancer Institute and then at the Italian Ministry of Health to which she contributes her expertise on the current ethical aspects of research and innovation. Mannelli is an expert member in the field of bioethics of the Ethics Committee of the Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità.