As this report says, "What if an estimated 100,000 breast cancer patients got drugs that did nothing to combat their cancer, but put them at risk for heart failure and leukemia?"
The drugs in question, anthracyclines turn out to have almost no effect in 92 percent of breast cancer cases.
Weighing the benefit in 4% of patients against the possibility of heart attack or leukemia is a grave responsibility for a Doctor, and a horrible dilemma for a patient - always assuming they are given the facts and allowed to choose.
The only bright side is that the advance in knowledge this research brings may lead to more care in prescribing the drugs.
