How soon after lumpectomy does chemotherapy start

Whether you have chemotherapy as part of your treatment depends on:

• what type of cancer you have
• how big it is
• whether it has spread or not

Surgery only removes the cancer from the area it is in the body.

And radiotherapy only treats the area of the body it is aimed at.

Doctors use chemotherapy because it circulates throughout the body in the bloodstream.

Is chemotherapy necessary after colon cancer surgery

So it can treat cancer almost anywhere in the body. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment.

You might have chemotherapy:

• to shrink a cancer before surgery or radiotherapy
• to try to stop cancer coming back after surgery or radiotherapy 
• at the same time as other treatments
• as a treatment on its own, if your type of cancer is very sensitive to it 
• to treat cancer that has spread from where it first started 
• as part of a clinical trial

Before surgery or radiotherapy

The aim of chemotherapy before surgery is to shrink a tumour.

This might mean: 

• you need less surgery
• it is easier to get all the cancer out
• you can have radiotherapy to a smaller area of your body

Having chemother

when will chemo start after surgery

when does chemo start after colon surgery