| Course Description |
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US and most affluent countries. It represents a complex group of
diseases with heterogeneity in biology, incidence, prevalence, and outcomes. And unlike other complex and
potentially life-threatening maladies, a cancer diagnosis is regularly received by patients as a death sentence. It
elicits dread, despair, hopelessness, and sometimes stigma in patients and their families. The emotional toll of a
cancer diagnosis and vulnerability that ensues, can profoundly impact patients’ approaches to research and
treatment.
The Cancer Bioethics course offers a comprehensive exploration of the diverse ethical issues that arise in the context
of cancer care and research, providing students with an analytic framework for complex moral dilemmas faced by
patients, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers. Through case studies, theoretical discussions, and critical
analysis, students will employ key bioethical principles and their application to cancer care - from diagnosis to
survivorship or decisions about end-of-life care. Topics will include unique ethical challenges in oncology such as
the “right not to know” and other challenges associated with disclosures of genomic testing of cancer; the moral
uncertainty of conducting research in minors diagnosed with cancer and the downstream use of their oncologic data;
the unbridled optimism and therapeutic illusion among a number of cancer specialists; therapeutic misconception
among participants in oncologic clinical trials; and the increasing integration of artificial intelligence into new
models of cancer care and prognostication. The course will also examine the intersection of social determinants of
health, cultural beliefs and value systems, and healthcare access, addressing the ethical concerns of disparities in
cancer care.
The course incorporates curricular elements of clinical ethics, law and bioethics, research ethics, reproductive ethics,
pediatric ethics, global ethics, environmental ethics, race and bioethics, organ transplant ethics, health policy and
bioethics, etc. This is an elective course open to cross-registrants from other fields and/or Columbia University
programs. Students do not need to have medical background to take this course. Students pursuing a degree in
medicine or pre-medicine, nursing, behavioral sciences, biotechnology, genetics, data science, public policy,
journalism, law, and governme |
