World Health Innovation Network

Little is known about why patients with cancer do or do not donate their biopsied/cancerous tissue to research. A review of the literature on motivations to participate in clinical research and to donate tissues/organs for therapeutic use may provide some insights relevant to tumour banking research. While more research is necessary, a better understanding of the factors that motivate patients to give or refuse consent to tumour banking may ultimately improve consent practices, public trust and donation rates.

Tissue banking (or biobanking), thought by many to be an essential form of medical research, has raised a number of ethical issues that highlight a need to understand the beliefs and values of tissue donors, including the motivations underlying consent or refusal to donate. Data from our qualitative study of the legal, social, and ethical issues surrounding tumor banking in New South Wales, Australia, show that participants' attitudes to donation of tumor tissue for research are partially captured by theories of weak altruism and social exchange. However, we argue that the psychological rewards of value transformation described by Thompson's rubbish theory provide additional insights into participants' attitudes to tumor donation. We believe our data provides sufficient justification for an approach to regulation of tumor banking that is aimed at fostering a relationship based on the notions of virtuous reassignment and social exchange.

General surgeons frequently handle patients who present with an unknown neck mass. Due to the nature of diseases, medial neck soft tissue masses often manifest with variable etiologies and clinical signs and symptoms. Establishing a thorough evaluation of neck masses based on differential diagnoses is essential. The clinical evaluation of neck masses usually includes a thorough history and physical examination, advanced imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasonography, contrastenhanced computed tomography (CT), and fine-needle aspiration biopsy. From a surgeon's standpoint, proper knowledge of tissue structure, anatomy, and pathology, and applying fundamental surgical principles ensure a successful management of such lesions. This case report intends to reveal the pathological and clinical nature of an unknown neck mass in a 60-year-old female, which was postoperatively diagnosed as an epidermal inclusion cyst (EIC). This report also intends to indicate the significance of surgical intervention to prevent EIC complications and improve patient's life quality.