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.

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.

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.