Latest on Treatment - DCIS June 2010

lh88

Latest on Treatment - DCIS June 2010

lh88

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/health/08canc.html?src=me&ref=homepage

I had a recurrence of DCIS 3 years after lumpectomy and 33 RTs. I was originally scheduled for a mastectomy. Second opinion at MSKCC recommended resection, mammograms rather than MRIs. I had surgery 3 weeks ago.

I believe in keeping my parts, such as they are, as long as reasonably possible, since prophylactic mastectomies cannot guarantee no cancer ever, anywhere else. Eternal vigilance!

(As a DES daughter I have had to be alert, gone for regular PAPs etc.for over 30 years.)

Lil

CTMOM1234

Lil - Sorry that you have to go through this again, but it is reassuring to know that you'll be keeping everything (albeit a little smaller, but been there, done that, it beats the alternative). Good luck and I'm sure it'll be fine.

I so appreciate your post, because if recurrence winds up being in my future, had feared that having already had lump. w/ 30 rad zaps that mastectomy was the only next step. Mine was middle grade and had a small invasion (technically not micro because that's 1 mm or less and mine was 1.75 mm), but here's to hoping . . .

Diagnosis 11/09: grade 2 DCIS, then 1.75 grade 2 IDC showed up in final lumpect.path so Stage Ia, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR+, 30 rads. opted no taxom.

redsox

They are investigating options for breast conservation with or without radiation for a recurrence.  This link is a new study that just opened:

 http://www.rtog.org/members/protocols/1014/1014.pdf

It is just a Phase II study but is a sign of work in that area.

CTMOM1234

I'd already seen some numbers about rads or not rads, and continue to be very comfortable that for me, rads was a good decision.

My BS only gave me two options after the DCIS was observed on a routine mammo (and confirmed after a stereo.biopsy) -- lump. with rads or mastectomy -- and once the final path. from the lump. came back with an unexpected 1.75 mm of IDC, I was especially glad to have the rads.

 Ironically, had I chosen mastectomy to avoid the rads, I was going to have immediate reconstruction, so does make me wonder if I'd have had to have rads anyway and what that would have meant both for the viability of the reconstruction and future ability to detect problems.

anghub

lh88: I read the article from the link you posted. I did have IORT (intraoperative radiation therapy during lumpectomy) but I'm currently going through external radiation as well. The IORT was my "boost" treatment so I cut-off about a week and a half of treatments. Today was day 4 of treatment so I have about 21 treatments left to go! I am supposed to go on tamoxifen too but I just don't know how I feel about that yet.