Although the breast cancer is removed during surgery, the presence of cancer cells in the lymph nodes means that there is a higher chance of the cancer returning and spreading. I will be having surgery and radiation treatment for breast cancer. Almost all women with node-positive breast cancer require drug treatment in addition to surgery and radiation treatment. Even when it seems certain that the whole tumour has been removed, many women die within 10 years from the cancer returning if they have had only surgery and radiation without drug treatment. There is now very powerful evidence that drug treatment in addition to surgery and radiation helps prolong life.
Drug treatment can mean either chemotherapy or hormonal therapy.
Chemotherapy uses special drugs to kill cancer cells. Hormonal therapy uses a different approach. The ovaries produce natural hormones, such as estrogen, which encourages some cancers to grow. Hormonal therapy interferes with this process and can stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. There are 2 kinds of hormonal therapy.