Her oncologist sent her in to the emergency room. The diagnosis was metastatic gallbladder cancer aggressively invading her liver, resulting in liver failure. I went down to the emergency room to see her. She only spoke Bengali, so every conversation required a phone interpreter. As I walked up to the patient’s bed I immediately noticed her jaundiced skin. Bilirubin, or breakdown products of red b...
The article discusses the ethical implications of withholding information from patients about their prognosis. It argues that while it may be difficult for medical professionals to accurately predict the course of a disease, especially for inexperienced physicians, they should still strive to provide prognoses to help patients come to terms with their mortality and make arrangements accordingly. The article highlights the emotional distress experienced by the patient who repeatedly asked for che...