The patient is a competent adult, and respecting her autonomy means being honest and giving her the information she needs to make an informed decision. For informed consent, the surgeon discloses the diagnosis to the patient (or a surrogate only if she lacks capacity). Lying about a 'benign lesion' (A) is unethical, and handing the disclosure to the husband (C) is not supported by the sources. Referring her to another surgeon (D) avoids the problem. In practice, acknowledge the husband's concern, but the diagnosis must reach the patient.