[Limits of technique: Ethical issues].

Radiation oncology departments are paradigmatic examples of the general evolution of medicine towards an ever more important presence of technology. The distance to the body or our radical dependence on the machine are concrete factors conditioning care practices in radiotherapy. Thus, an essential question appears: can technique be seen as a real limit for our primary function of care in radiation oncology? It is also necessary to consider the postures this question could lead to: the real risk of finding legitimacy in our sole function of technicians. If technique can be seen as a possible hindrance to our care role, it also appears that technique can create unexpected spaces, where radiation oncologists can express their own definition of care with patients. It is time for our community to take into account this specific aspect of the technologic issue in order to attest the reality of its limits and possibilities. A collective reflection on the ethics of technique, and more broadly on the ethics of care practices in radiation oncology appears relevant.

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Copyright © 2019 Société française de radiothérapie oncologique (SFRO). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.