Should you tell close family members if you have a genetic predisposition to breast cancer?
Is one person’s entitlement to confidentiality more important than another’s entitlement to life? This is the question being addressesd by Professor Gareth Evans from St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester. He is calling for clarification to patient confidentiality laws so that doctors can inform close relatives of those with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer that they too may be at risk of developing the disease. He argues that a substantial number of cases of breast cancer could be prevented, or at least detected at an earlier stage, if doctors were allowed to pass on such information directly. Professor Gareth Evans joins Jenni in the studio along with Dr Vivienne Nathanson, Head of Science and Ethics at the British Medical Association, to discuss the issues.
