A recent push to share study findings with patients after they complete treatment in clinical trials may actually do more harm than good by exposing study participants to unnecessary psychological stress, according to a new commentary. Published in the April 1, 2006 issue of CANCER (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/cancer-newsroom), a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the commentary suggests investigators have an ethical obligation to minimize harm to participants by providing participants only the study data that will directly benefit their future care, and by giving them an option to read and discuss the results as they pertain to their own disease management.
