A Parental Request for an Unproven Treatment for a Rare Pediatric Cancer: Sound Reasons for Not Going Off-Label - PubMed
7 hours ago
- #bioethics
- #off-label prescribing
- #pediatric oncology
- A case of a three-year-old in remission from ependymoma whose parents requested off-label metformin to reduce recurrence risk.
- A specialist recommended metformin based on theoretical benefits, but the primary neuro-oncologist sought an ethics consult, believing it unethical.
- Arguments against prescribing include lack of supporting data, non-trivial risks, potential for false hope, undermining research, and social media influence.
- Physicians should respond compassionately but decline unproven interventions outside standard care.
- Highlights ethical boundaries of off-label prescribing in pediatric oncology.