Ethics of the diagnostic announcement of a malignant brain tumor

The announcement of a serious illness such as a malignant brain tumor must respect the fundamentals of fair clear and appropriate information. This moment of illness announcement which patients apprehend in different ways is a complex task requiring a communication strategy based on respect for fundamental ethical principles. In our work we have tried to describe the various psychological and linguistic aspects as well as the ethical issues arising from the interaction between the neurosurgeon the patient and the para-medical staff during the announcement of the diagnosis of a malignant brain tumour through a review of the literature and thus to propose certain measures aimed at helping this real ordeal to run as smoothly as possible in order to improve the quality of care for the patients concerned.