Chemotherapy uses medicines to destroy cancer cells. You may have it before your surgery (to shrink the tumour); after surgery (to reduce the chance of cancer coming back or spreading) or as a treatment for breast cancer that has spread or come back. Chemotherapy can be taken as a tablet, but it is mostly given as an injection. You may need one or more different drugs as part of your treatment. You will usually have chemotherapy as a treatment cycle, with a few days taking the drugs and then a few weeks of rest. You may have a number of treatment cycles over a period of up to 8 months.
Attribution: BUPA