title: Who owns these tissues? General principles on the use of material submitted to pathology departments for healthcare, education and research purposes.
abstract: The study of human tissues procured through invasive procedures for diagnostic     and treatment purposes constitutes one of the most important functions of     pathology departments worldwide. The final diagnosis, determination of     appropriate therapy and detailed insight on many diseases are possible only     through the analysis of these tissues with the use of modern analytical     techniques. While these statements present no controversy, the laws and     regulations on how to use these tissues for diagnostic, educational and research     purposes are woefully insufficient and cause significant debate. In addition to     the lack of principles that define the possession and use of these tissues,     there are a number of prejudices in our country that are not consistent with the     scientific and medical facts. This study aims to frame the problems arising in     this matter and provides a review of the rules, experience and legislation in     various countries with a discussion of some examples. We aim to provide ideas on     the general fundamental principles that should be incorporated in future     legislation in our country. We also hope that our study initiates a healthy     discussion of this critical topic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey. sumeyye.ekmekci@deu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Sümeyye
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ekmekçı
authors.forename: Osman Arıkan
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Nacar
authors.forename: Tarık
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tıhan
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000941:ethics*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000941:ethics*