[Legal problems in the treatment of cancer (author's transl)].

According to the principles developed by the legislature, the treatment of cancer requires particularly careful diagnosis. The principle of free choise of methods is accepted in the treatment of cancer; in many cases, however, surgery plus irradiation must be regarded as the method generally accepted as the most effective, of which the doctor regularly has to avail himself. Revelation of the diagnosis involves particular problems. If telling the patient of the diagnosis likely to have a deleterious effect on the results of treatment, the type and extent of information given to the patient must be left to the discretion of the doctor.