During a modified radical mastectomy, the lymph nodes that drain the breast tissue are also sampled for testing and removed, depending on the severity of the cancer. I've heard that now almost all women operated on for breast cancer should have postoperative chemotherapy. As research into the most effective treatment programs for breast cancer goes forward, more is being learned about the risk that the disease will recur. In particular, we now know that this risk can be higher than the risk of actually dying from breast cancer. To offset this higher risk, the recommendation for routine postoperative chemotherapy has been extended to virtually all women treated for breast cancer.
Chemotherapy reaches into all parts of the body to destroy remaining cancer cells.
Although chemotherapy can reduce the risk of breast cancer recurring, it is not completely effective in all cases. For younger women, chemotherapy often is still the best option. I've heard that women with breast cancer who have lumpectomies also have radiation therapy. The radiation therapy, given postoperatively, helps to ensure that the cancer will not recur. Radiation doses are carefully adjusted to keep side effects at a minimum.