This. Had an acquaintance who got a diagnosis of lung cancer stage IV, was told that otherwise she would die in a month and was offered an experimental treatment at one of the very famous cancer hospitals. She took the treatments, promptly swelled up to twice her size, lost consciousness and expired w/o coming to.

<sarcasm>Wow, I thought, that really must have helped reduce some other persons' suffering! All hail to the experimenter who cooked up her treatment! <sarcasm>

Somewhere in my recent readings doctors were characterized as sadists (I thought HN but can't find the post). Cancer treatment experimenters may be prime candidates for that characterization, which sadly seems more explanatory than I would like.