How long does chemotherapy before surgery take to work for breast cancer?

Chemotherapy before surgery is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy. It is used to treat breast cancer before the operation, which may shrink the tumour and give the team information about how the cancer responds. A change in lump size can be useful, but it does not tell the whole story.

The team may use examination and breast imaging during the course. The most detailed assessment comes from tissue removed at surgery, which shows how much cancer remains. Treatment schedules vary according to the cancer subtype, medicines used, health and the planned operation.

Keep chemotherapy appointments and tell the oncology team about fever, new symptoms, medicines and supplements. Follow advice about infection precautions, fluids, mouth care and managing nausea. Do not judge response by side effects: feeling unwell does not prove the treatment is working, and feeling well does not prove it is not. Ask how imaging and surgery dates fit the plan.

Call your oncology team urgently for a fever or other infection warning, breathing difficulty, chest pain, severe diarrhoea, repeated vomiting, dehydration or an allergic reaction during treatment. Use the emergency service for severe breathing problems, collapse or sudden serious symptoms. The team may give you a specific temperature threshold and an out-of-hours number.

Ask what response the team is looking for, when examination or imaging will be repeated, how treatment affects the operation date, what pathology can show after surgery and which symptoms need a same-day call.