Marcia W is a 40-year-old female with multiple myeloma, who upon diagnosis shows great  interest in having all the information that is necessary to make a decision about further treatment. Dr. C. tells her that the response rates to chemotherapy with this disease are very good and that recent research has shown that 50% of patients can hope for long-term survival rates, which can be thought of as a cure. The other 50% of patients die within a year or two. Dr.  C. doesn't want to tell Marcia that preliminary studies are showing that, over a ten-year period after chemotherapy, 10% of those who survive the myeloma will contract a form of leukemia that is highly resistant to treatment because he worries that it will cause her not to take treatment. What should he do?
A physician calls you to figure out what to do in the case described above. Analyze this dilemma
for him so that you can help him make the best decision. Both of you are concerned with the
concept of informed consent and related concepts.
1) What is the ethical dilemma?
2) What are the relevant facts? Use bullet points when you list the relevant facts
3) One relevant concept is informed consent. What is/are the others that you will need to
utilize in order to help Dr. C. decide what he should do.
4) Analyze the case using the relevant facts in accordance with informed consent and the
other relevant concepts.
5) What is your decision about how to advise Dr. C in this situation?
6) Why did you decide to do what you did? Be sure that you justify your action using the
concepts you utilized in your analysis.
Part 2 (10 points) Using the case of Marcia W and Dr. C
1. Which court case (not case study) that we examined in class helps us decide what Dr. C.
should do in this instance?
2. According to the court case, does Marcia W have the right to information about
the possible risk of leukemia?
3. Defend your decision in accordance with the standard set by the court case you named
above. You need to state the standard and then explain how this case should
be decided according to the standard.