In a recent interview, Daniel Benedetti, M.D., a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, shared his concerns about the trade-offs between a more certain acute cure and potential long-term health risks, the nuances of family informed consent, and his hopes for what bioethics may bring to decision making.

"We need to figure out how to improve outcomes for patients, as well as how to reduce the long-term effects of treatment."  

"We've learned about chronic treatment-driven conditions from decades of children surviving childhood cancer," said Benedetti. "Novel agents like immunotherapy make the decision matrix more complex. Dedicated pediatric hematology/oncology bioethicists can help address stressful issues we encounter."