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Chemotherapy before breast cancer surgery
By Mayo Clinic staffSome women with breast cancer receive chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy), generally to shrink large tumors and allow the surgeon the best possible chance of completely removing the tumor. In some cases, neoadjuvant therapy also allows the surgeon to remove only the tumor and avoid a mastectomy.
Whether you have chemotherapy before surgery or after doesn't seem to have an effect on your chances of survival with or without a recurrence (overall survival). By immediately attacking both the tumor and any cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body (metastasized), neoadjuvant therapy could conceivably make recurrence less likely, but this benefit hasn't been demonstrated in controlled trials. On the other hand, having chemotherapy before surgery allows your doctor to assess your response to your regimen and alter it as needed later.
Chemotherapy: Pros and cons Long-term side effects of chemotherapy
