HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - More than half of women with DCIS are spared a mastectomy

islandgirl · 01-22-2010, 09:43 AM

Hi there: It's an interesting article. I had an initial lumpectomy (DCIS non-invasive dx) with very poor margins. While I was offered a repeat of a lumpetctomy, I opted for a mastectomy. I had numerous mammograms and an MRI prior to surgery. My MRI suggested I had a very localized, tiny spot of cancer cells. When the pathology came back, it was very widespread, likened to 'cells sprinkled like salt'. I felt relieved I had made that decision. When I was diagnosed 7 years later on the other breast (wide-spread DCIS with microinvasive cells), it was a no-brainer to have another mastectomy. That being said, following my initial mastectomy I wondered about the incidence of the over-diagnosing of DCIS. I had been considered a very low risk for recurrence (though technically it wasn't a recurrence, but rather a new cancer), so it definitely put a different spin on the aggressive treatment I opted for initially. Thanks.

Jude
Island Girl

01-22-2010, 09:43 AM	#2
islandgirl Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 22	Re: More than half of women with DCIS are spared a mastectomy Hi there: It's an interesting article. I had an initial lumpectomy (DCIS non-invasive dx) with very poor margins. While I was offered a repeat of a lumpetctomy, I opted for a mastectomy. I had numerous mammograms and an MRI prior to surgery. My MRI suggested I had a very localized, tiny spot of cancer cells. When the pathology came back, it was very widespread, likened to 'cells sprinkled like salt'. I felt relieved I had made that decision. When I was diagnosed 7 years later on the other breast (wide-spread DCIS with microinvasive cells), it was a no-brainer to have another mastectomy. That being said, following my initial mastectomy I wondered about the incidence of the over-diagnosing of DCIS. I had been considered a very low risk for recurrence (though technically it wasn't a recurrence, but rather a new cancer), so it definitely put a different spin on the aggressive treatment I opted for initially. Thanks. Jude Island Girl __________________ 2002 Dx with DCIS, low-grade, non-invasive Estrogen/Progesterone +. Lumpectomy (10/26/02) Bad margins. 2002 (12/2/02)Mastectomy left breast 2004 lump right breast. Lumpectomy 6/09 (benign) 2007 total hysterectomy (fibroids/family hx of ovarian cancer) 2009 Dx with DCIS, high grade 3 with microinvasion. Estrogen-Progesterone -, HER2 Neu + 2009 (3/26/09) Mastectomy right breast 5/09 - 8/09 weekly Taxol/Herceptin 8/09 - Present - Herceptin every 3 weeks 6/10 Begin breast reconstruction!