How does the physician decide between chemotherapy and radiation therapy after breast cancer surgery?
Chemotherapy involves the use of medications to treat possible microscopic cancer cells that might still be present in tissues distant from the breast. It is most commonly used when the primary breast cancer is felt to be “high risk.” Radiation therapy is used to prevent a recurrence of cancer in the remaining breast tissue after a lumpectomy. After a mastectomy (total removal of the breast), radiation is sometimes used if the cancer was large or if several underarm lymph nodes contain cancer.
