Hypothesis-Driven Study
Treatments for breast cancer include several surgeries – mastectomy and lumpectomy – and radiotherapy. Lumpectomy is not as invasive, as only cancer-affected areas are removed, while the breast is preserved as much as possible (Giannakeas, 2018). In the case of mastectomy, the breasts, lymph nodes, and muscle tissue can be removed. The effectiveness of these surgeries depends on the stage of cancer and the patient’s individual health considerations, but mastectomy lowers the risk of cancer returning (Giannakeas, 2018). Therefore, a study is proposed to determine whether women with breast cancer who underwent a mastectomy have a higher rate of survival than women who underwent a lumpectomy and did not consider other treatments.
Control Groups
The study would require at least three control groups to determine the differences in the survival rates. The first group would include women who underwent a mastectomy to treat breast cancer. The second group is women who underwent a lumpectomy and removed the lumps – areas affected by cancer. Finally, a control group consisting of women with breast cancer and no surgeries or other treatments would be necessary to provide a baseline for the experiment.
Would Such a Study be Ethical to Undertake?
No, performing studies that use control groups in cancer patients is highly unethical.
Why the Study Is Unethical
The study is unethical for several reasons, but all of them breach the patients’ rights to autonomy and access to healthcare. First, the study looks at such treatments as mastectomy and lumpectomy, and, to show results, it has to ignore other approaches, such as radiotherapy. However, according to Giannakeas (2018), radiotherapy may be necessary for patients even after surgery to lower the risk of returning cancer. By neglecting this treatment, the study exposes the participatns to preventable risks of their health worsening.
Next, a control group study requires another set of participants who do not undergo treatments. The lack of healthcare provided to patients who urgently need it goes against the medical principle of benevolence – the requirement to improve patients’ situation (De Azambuja et al., 2020). Finally, mastectomy and lumpectomy are suggested for women with different stages and severity levels of cancer, which cannot lead to reliable results. The researcher may come to incorrect conclusions and influence the state of cancer treatment, putting future cancer patients at risk.
References
De Azambuja, E., Trapani, D., Loibl, S., Delaloge, S., Senkus, E., Criscitiello, C., Poortmans, P., Gnant, M., Cosimo, S., Cortes, J., Cardoso, F., Paluch-Shimon, S., & Curigliano, G. (2020). ESMO management and treatment adapted recommendations in the COVID-19 era: breast cancer. ESMO Open, 5(3), e000793. Web.
Giannakeas, V., Sopik, V., & Narod, S. A. (2018). Association of radiotherapy with survival in women treated for ductal carcinoma in situ with lumpectomy or mastectomy. JAMA Network Open, 1(4), e181100-e181100. Web.