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Journal of Medical Ethics logoLink to Journal of Medical Ethics
. 1994 Jun;20(2):77–79. doi: 10.1136/jme.20.2.77

Unproven treatment in childhood oncology--how far should paediatricians co-operate?

J Jackson 1
PMCID: PMC1376431  PMID: 8083878

Abstract

How should doctors respond to requests from parents of terminally ill children for unproven treatments to be tried? Here it is argued that doctors faced with difficult cases where (1) it is not obviously against a child's interests to undergo an unproven treatment and (2) provided the treatment does not draw extravagantly on NHS funds, it may be appropriate, though not necessarily obligatory, for doctors to comply. It is important to recognise that often there may not be 'the right response'--only alternative appropriate responses.

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