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Chemotherapy before surgery for breast cancer
Source: Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: Not stated in this source · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
NCI patient treatment article for this disease Exact source article; not a clinically reviewed indication or current-standard recommendation.
Context: Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer / When is chemotherapy for breast cancer given?
Sometimes chemotherapy is given before surgery. It may be given to shrink large tumors to make breast-conserving surgery possible for people who would have otherwise needed a mastectomy. It may also be given to reduce the number of lymph nodes that need to be removed during surgery or to lower the risk of recurrence. Chemotherapy before surgery may be called neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Source links and citations
Your doctor may recommend chemotherapy before surgery if you have:
high-grade breast cancer (grade 3)
breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes
a large breast cancer
HER2-positive breast cancer
Source links and citations
triple-negative breast cancer
inflammatory breast cancer
Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice