More than 60,000 American women are diagnosed with DCIS annually. For those unfamiliar with the term, and I was too until I was diagnosed with it in 1999, DCIS stands for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, which is a growth of malignant cells inside the milk ducts of the breast. Some doctors call it a pre-cancer, while others say that it’s the earliest stage of cancer.
I don’t know for sure, but I imagine if you’re reading this article you personally or someone in your life has been diagnosed with DCIS and you’re wondering what kind of treatment is best, given that it’s labeled a pre-cancer or early stage cancer. Should you choose treatment that is as aggressive as that prescribed for aggressive cancers, or people with large tumors?
As I am not an oncologist, but a 10-year cancer survivor, I am not in a position to give you any advice. But your questions are ones the medical profession has been asking itself lately as well. Susan Reed, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center recently served on an expert panel on DCIS in September, 2009 at the National Institutes of Health. Reed was quoted as saying that the medical profession is asking women to make decisions that are crucial to their lives, without a lot of hard evidence. Continue reading ‘DCIS Diagnosis – Does This Cancer Diagnosis Require the Rigorous Treatment Used For Other Cancers?’ »
Incoming search terms:
- dcis