For Becky

Jean · 01-23-2008, 02:38 PM

Meissa,
If the DCIS is in the ducks it is not invasive - but to best answer your questoin....DCIS can break out of the ducts at any time and become
invasive depending on the type of DCIS.

Jean
PS no question is silly...

Jean · 01-23-2008, 04:16 PM

Becky,
Thanks for your post...as I thought Her2 changes the game.

Jean

AlaskaAngel · 01-23-2008, 04:53 PM

Jean, what Melissa may be asking is whether, when surgery is done, do the ducts cut in the process of doing surgery release the DCIS to then develop into IDC? In other words, although DCIS is ductal originally, can surgery release it from the ducts and would it then logically possibly be more capable of evolving into breast cancer? Or is there something about the development of DCIS that causes it generally to not become IDC even if it manages to be released by surgery from the duct?

Interesting question.

AlaskaAngel

Jean · 01-23-2008, 06:06 PM

Hi AA, and thank you, I misunderstood the question.

Well, Since DCIS must be removed with clean margins and most dr.
recommend additional treatment such as radiation I would say yes,
that the odds of developing an invasive is there. The surgery itself
should not/or/ would not be the culprit, rather the doctor not achieving clean margins. (leaving behind trace amount) Treating DCIS is to reduce the risk of an invasive cancer.
If the DCIS is not invasive at the time of surgery - that does not
mean it cannot return as an invasive cancer later on. So the best answer to the question is if the DCIS is not invasive it is not considered cancer, but a pre-cancer. All DCIS can and is capable of evoling into breast
cancer. Dr. still do not understand the sub types of DCIS...what
is so concerning to me is that most if not all dr. treat DCIS with HER2
just like DCIS without HER2...and as Becky pointed out it is not so
easy via pathology to define the invasive portion and anything left
behind will have the strong chance of changing to IDC. So the answer is yes.

Jean