There is a glaring lack of evidence that antioxidants either help or hinder, yet many women undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, and hormonal therapy do take these supplements.
Should breast cancer patients have chemotherapy before or after surgery?
That’s a tricky question and, ultimately, each woman needs to make that decision with her doctor. But there are some advantages to having chemotherapy first.
How important is it to shop around when looking for a breast cancer surgeon?
Nobody knows – yet – whether a woman’s chances of survival will be better if she takes the time to pick a breast surgeon carefully. But a new study of nearly 2,000 patients, published in January in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, does show that women who choose a surgeon carefully, as opposed to those who merely accept a referral from their health plans, were more likely to be treated by a surgeon who does a high volume of breast surgeries and to be cared for in a hospital with a comprehensive cancer program approved by the American College of Surgeons or a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.