Patients' experiences with decisions on timing of chemotherapy for breast cancer

•Patients with early breast cancer are well-informed on chemotherapy in general.•Patients satisfaction with chemotherapy treatment was moderate, although belief in its contribution to recovery was high.•The choice regarding either neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy is often not discussed with patients prior to treatment.•In particular patients with stage II breast cancer were under-informed about the choice regarding chemotherapy timing.•In order to decide on chemotherapy timing, patients need to be aware of all possible options.