April 2021 Vol. 9 No.4

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Original Research Article

Ethical and communication issues in advanced stage retinoblastoma – challenges of clinical reality

^*1,2Boeriu Estera, ²Borda Alexandra, ^*3Boeriu Amalia Iulia, ^1,2Arghirescu Smaranda Teodora

¹Department of Oncology and Haematology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, Timisoara, Romania
²”Louis Turcanu” Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children, Timisoara, Romania
³Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

*Corresponding Author’s Email: esteraboeriu@yahoo.com / boeriu.amalia@gmail.com
Tel:+40724385427/+40724825037

Received: 21 March 2021  I  Accepted: 23 April 2021  I  Published: 27 April 2021  I  Article ID: MRJMMS21033
Copyright © 2021 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article.
This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0.

Abstract

In the context of an oncologic disease delivering bad news always represents a challenge, but a diagnosis such as a retinoblastoma can raise additional problems. Retinoblastoma (RB) is a malignant tumor of the embryonic neural retina network affecting children. It can be either hereditary or sporadic; in advanced stages, it can invade the optic nerve. Approximately 90% of cases are sporadic, with no RB antecedents in the family. Familial RB is present when there is a positive history in one of the child’s parents. Though it can affect the quality of life, the literature usually describes an excellent prognosis for RB patients if the disease is discovered and treated in time. Approaching RB cases must therefore be a holistic, complex, and a multidisciplinary endeavor to ensure the comfort and a better quality of life for the patients and their families. Communication with the family plays a crucial role in achieving this comfort during the entire treatment process. This paper aims is to present three cases diagnosed with RB in our clinic, the ethical dilemmas, and the communication issues that arose while working on these cases and how the different approaches influenced the treatment’s outcome.

Keywords: Children, Communication, Ethical issues, Physician-patient relations, Retinoblastoma