Bioethics and medicolegal aspects in breast cancer reconstruction

Bioethics is the systematic study of the moral dimensions of the life sciences and health care, employing a variety of ethical methods in an interdisciplinary setting. The integration of bioethics in reconstructive breast cancer surgery is essential, because few diseases represent such complexity from the scientific, psychological, therapeutic, ethical, and social points of view as breast cancer. Surgeons who are dedicated to this delicate field of work face daily situations that demand great sensitivity and deep bioethical and medicolegal analysis. This chapter considers the most relevant bioethical issues and medicolegal aspects concerning breast cancer treatment, such as research, public health care, genetics, clinical bioethics, and medicolegal aspects, with a special focus on breast cancer reconstruction dilemmas and the need to introduce bioethics and medicolegal aspects into the educational programs for specialists.