Genetic screening for familial cancer has an impact on both the individuals being tested and also their family members. During the screening, a person diagnosed with a particular type of cancer starts medication, and early detection prevents more severity and prevents individuals from having sick offspring in the future (Eastman, 2020). I would get genetic testing for familial cancer because of various reasons. First, the screening would help me since, through the scanning, I can estimate the chance of developing cancer in my lifetime. That means I can be in a position to make decisions about treatment early enough or understand the risks behind the same (Eastman, 2020). Secondly, through genetic screening, I can reduce any probability of passing the disease from one generation to another through medical procedures that can combat the spread of familial cancer.
Genetic screening for cancer risks has ethical issues that may come along. Firstly, the tests undertaken can give information about an individual’s medical future, thus leading to the stigmatization of the patient, which results in mental instability (Deleemans et al., 2019). Secondly, when patients find it hard to share their genetic results with their families, doctors get probed for breaching patient’s confidentiality. In this case, a clinician will be required to inform those at-risk members as one way of averting the potential development of familial cancer (Kenny et al., 2020). At this point, decision-making becomes controversial since physicians must maintain autonomy per the guidelines of medical service provision, therefore raising an ethical concern.
References
Deleemans, J., Mothersill, K., Bultz, B., & Schulte, F. (2019). Ethical considerations in screening head and neck cancer patients for psychosocial distress. Supportive Care in Cancer, 28(2), 617-624. Web.
Eastman, P. (2020). The exploration of challenges, benefits & risks of cancer screening. Oncology Times, 42(7), 22-23. Web.
Kenny, J., Burcher, S., Kohut, K., & Eastman, N. (2020). Ethical issues in genetic testing for inherited cancer predisposition syndromes: The potentially conflicting interests of patients and their relatives. Current Genetic Medicine Reports, 8(2), 72-77. Web.
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