Can tumors get bigger after radiation?
Even if no shrinkage is seen right away, cells may still be dying in response to radiation, sometimes causing an inflammatory response that can even make a mass look larger!

How long does it take for chemo and radiation to shrink cancerous tumors?
After radiation therapy, you might have imaging tests to see if the cancer is shrinking. Sometimes the cancer responds to treatment right away. Other times it may take weeks or months to see the treatment working.

How long does it take for radiation to destroy a tumor?
When the damaged cells die, they are broken down and removed by the body. Radiation therapy does not kill cancer cells right away. It takes days or weeks of treatment before DNA is damaged enough for cancer cells to die. Then, cancer cells keep dying for weeks or months after radiation therapy ends

Thank you so much. I’m staying hopeful, but boy does this journey feel like a rollercoaster ride.

The goal of chemo often is to shrink the tumor/tumors before surgery. Sometimes it can kill the cancer completely, sometimes not. Imaging can give a rough estimate of what is left, but nothing is known for sure until surgery is done, and the pathology is checked.
It is great if the chemo kills every thing, but even if it doesn’t, and one has residual cancer left when surgery is done, the surgeon removes it. And in some cases, certain medication is recommended after surgery.
Last year at work, I had a patient getting chemo, and her tumor felt larger half way through chemo. We sent her for a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound sound. It did measure bigger, but it was the necrosis (tissue death of her tumor). This patient’s tumor was large before chemo, 2 cm. After surgery, she did have some residual, less than half a cm. The surgeon removed it all, clean margins. She finished radiation, and now she is on Verzenio for 2 years. She has a good prognosis.

Easy for me to say, but try not to worry too much. I know this is hard!
Wishing you well!

Hang in there