Hormone receptor tests. If the biopsy shows that cancer is present, laboratory tests called estrogen and progesterone receptor tests are usually done on the cancer cells. These tests can tell whether hormones promote the growth of the cancer. This information helps the doctor decide whether hormone treatment is likely to be useful. Hormone receptor tests are done at the time of biopsy because the tissue needed for the test may be hard to get later on.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
The doctor may use just one drug or a combination. Chemotherapy may be given by mouth or by injection into a muscle or vein. The drugs enter the blood stream and travel through the body. This type of treatment is called systernic therapy . Depending on which drugs are given, most patients have chemotherapy as an outpatient at the hospital, at the doctor's office, or at home.