Baum and his like-minded colleagues have been blowing this particular whistle for a while now - so why hasn't the Breast Cancer Screening Service done anything about it?

Still, the researchers say, more studies should look into why some women fail to complete their breast cancer treatment, and what should be done about it.

Comparing the two groups might help explain why some estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer patients do well with estrogen-lowering drugs and others poorly.