It does change the course of treatment, however. Lymph node involvement means a more rigorous course of therapy, said Jonathan Sporn, M.D, but that could include systemic chemotherapy or hormonal therapy after the breast cancer has been removed or successfully treated. You're not going to feel well, Dr. Sporn, a cancer specialist and team member said, but many advances have been made to reduce the woman's distress. The combination of chemicals used to treat breast cancer after surgery has numerous side effects. Many of the more pronounced side effects can be mitigated with new medicines.
Different therapies have different side effects.
Recovery from surgery or cancer treatment is still an ordeal, as is recovery from any invasive procedure, but the end result of successful treatment is restored good health. The big breakthrough in breast cancer treatment is about to occur . But even if it did, it would be months, if not years before the treatment was approved, and more importantly, proved effective. I suspect that chemotherapy and radiation therapy will play a role in treatment for some time to come. Radiation therapy will leave you scarred and is likely to cause damage to the heart and lungs .