SEASOn
The ethics of early risk and cancer detection: a Study on Experiences of Active Surveillance in Oncology
SEASOn aims to produce an ethical framework with concerned stakeholders addressing high-stakes public health issues surrounding the fast-paced development of early risk and cancer detection.
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Project period
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Main investigator
Julia Tinland
SESSTIM member(s) of the project:
Sponsors:
HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
Partners:
Institut des Humanités en Médecine (IHM) de Lausanne
Research topics:
Research question:
Early risk and cancer detection are at the heart of Europe’s strategy in the fight against cancer. The aim of the SEASOn project in empirical bioethics is to develop an ethical framework addressing the high-stakes issues that they raise. It will provide crucial insights into the vulnerability of the rapidly growing population of patients diagnosed with early cancer, or at high risk of cancer, who are only under active surveillance. Facing deep uncertainty, they don’t know if and when the disease will ever progress. SEASOn will define ethically-informed guidelines with concerned stakeholders for healthcare systems and public health policymakers.
Method:
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The methodology revolves around:
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Ethnographic observations of oncologists during consults with patients-in-waiting who are under active surveillance (WP1);
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Qualitative interviews with oncologists following patients-in-waiting who are under active surveillance across a wide array of cancer types: thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, Lynch syndrome, etc. (WP1);
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Qualitative interviews with patients-in-waiting under active surveillance, selected across a large diversity of profiles: time passed since diagnosis; proximity to the hospital; gender; age; cancer type, etc. (WP2).
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The use of dialogue in order to elicit stories of participants, exchange experiences in cross-sectional groups and draw normative conclusions for practice (WP3).
Research prospects:
Empirical bioethics is an emerging area of research through which field work and data are integrated within more philosophical and conceptual lines of argumentation. It aims to find ways to incorporate concerned actors’ considered judgements into more theoretical ethical principles. However, despite its focus on gathering ethically-relevant data from concerned actors, empirical bioethics has yet to focus on fully participatory methodologies.
SEASOn will garner relevant insights into the use of participatory methodologies in empirical bioethics through a more reflexive outlook on the levers and obstacles faced throughout.
Results:
Ongoing project
Ethics comittee approval Inserm :n°025-1215
