If radiation is supposed to follow directly after your surgery the doctors want to start radiation as soon as your body has healed enough from surgery, which means your incisions have closed and your surgical drains have been removed. Unless you run into some sort of healing complications they will typically start radiation within 4-8 weeks after your surgery was done. They want to start radiation as soon as possible to kill off any stray cancer cells that might remain in your chest and possibly in your armpit(s) and neck if your cancer progressed to the lymph nodes in your armpit(s).
Radiation treatments typically begin around 4 to 8 weeks after surgery or chemotherapy. However, the exact timing really depends on your individual situation. A few factors that can influence when radiation starts include:
- The type of surgery you had (lumpectomy vs. mastectomy)
- Whether your cancer spread to the lymph Show Full Answer