-Review-

Informed Consent for Breast Cancer: The Perspective of Physicians in Japan

Erika Suzuki¹ and Hiroyuki Takei²

¹Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Nippon Medical School Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Chiba, Japan
²Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan

Informed consent (IC) is closely related to shared decision making (SDM), and SDM can lead to IC. IC is fundamental to medical ethics as described in the Geneva, Helsinki, and Lisbon declarations and is essential for clinical practice, as it provides legal protection for healthcare professionals. IC should be achieved through SDM based on both narrative-based medicine and evidence-based medicine. SDM should also involve healthcare professionals other than physicians (e.g., nurses, pharmacists, social workers). Communication skills for IC are important and are encapsulated in the SPIKES protocol. IC for breast cancer treatment requires explanation of the roles of local and systemic therapy. A documented "do not attempt resuscitation" order should be obtained for end-of-life IC.

J Nippon Med Sch 2025; 92: 10-13

Keywords
informed consent, shared decision making, breast cancer

Correspondence to
Hiroyuki Takei, MD, PhD, Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan
takei-hiroyuki@nms.ac.jp

Received, July 2, 2024
Accepted, July 12, 2024