Do I choose surgery or chemo first?

As the others have said, each person is different and this decision needs to be made as an informed, emphasis on the informed, choice. When I was diagnosed and told that the recommended treatment plan was chemo first, then surgery, I too was freaked out. To be quite frank, being a public patient, I thought that this was just a way of keeping me busy with some treatment in the meantime, as their surgery lists were full, but that they weren't going to admit that to me. All the publicity about surgery waiting times in the public sector put that at the forefront of my mind. I felt so threatened by this cancerous monster that had invaded my body, that it was going to be left inside me while they did the chemo, I wanted to just  be given a steak knife  and I'd cut it off myself!! Then it was explained to me that in some cases. and mine in particular, the chemo first was the very best option. I was then told that the cancer in my breast would not kill me, but any cells which might have set off from it most certainly could. It was further explained that any cell, cancerous or otherwise, needs a blood supply to survive. If that cell does not have a blood supply, it would die. I had a lump, not just one or two cells, not just a dozen, but a shitload of them, all with their cosy little blood supply. That blood supply was connected to all my other blood vessels, like roads in a city. At any point the cancer cells could penetrate to within that blood highway and go and set up shop elsewhere, and that was a problem. As it happened, after the six months of chemo, I had the surgery and the pathology report said no discernable signs of cancer, all that was left was the dead tumour bed which was where the cancer had been.  Have a good talk to your team, hear what they have to say, then make your decision. Sending a hug...