Forum Discussion
How long after chemo finishes can you have a mastectomy
I have to go in for a mastectomy and lymph node clearance when chemo finishes. How long do you usually have to wait after chemo finishes before you can go for surgery?
Hi Unicornkisses.
I had 6 months of chemo before my surgery and then mastectomy and node clearance 2 weeks to the day after my final round of chemo. My medical team told me that the life cycle of cancer cells was around 3 weeks and as I still had active cancer in my breast and nodes, then I should have surgery within that 3 week period so they made it 2 weeks to be sure. I hope you get an idea soon from your medical team. Take care
Polly
I had 6 months of chemo before my surgery and then mastectomy and node clearance 2 weeks to the day after my final round of chemo. My medical team told me that the life cycle of cancer cells was around 3 weeks and as I still had active cancer in my breast and nodes, then I should have surgery within that 3 week period so they made it 2 weeks to be sure. I hope you get an idea soon from your medical team. Take care
Polly