In larger but still localized cancers, the armpit, the breast and the chest wall may be irradiated following surgical treatment. The goal of radiation treatment is to destroy cancer cells, but it may also damage normal cells within the irradiated area. This injury to normal tissues can lead to a variety of side effects depending on the area of the body treated. Side effects may occur when chemotherapy is used. They vary in their frequency and intensity depending on the drug being used and its dose.
Some people have no apparent side effects.
Most chemotherapy treatment does not require hospitalization but can be carried out in a clinic or in the physician's office. More recently, it has become possible to predict wuth greated accuracy which breast cancers are likely to be hormone dependent. Drugs are now available that serve to counteract the action of some of these hormones. On the other hand, tumour suppression is sometimes achieved by elevating the level of certain homromes by providing them in the form of drugs. Determining the effective combination to achieve hormone suppression is a complex matter and is dependent on many factors.