Just found out

mlo69

My doctor called with the results of yesterday's biopsy.  He said that I have ductal carcinoma, grade one.  He also told me that my mass was just under 1 cm.  So much is whirling around my head right now.... He wants me to focus on the positive; that this is treatable and I caught it early.  I am still angry that I have to go through this, but I know that will pass.  I also know that I have to deal with the confusion over treatment options/controversies.  Any help that any of you have would be greatly appreciated.  I am planning on meeting with two different surgeons before I make any rash decisions.  

Moderators

mio, we're sorry you're dealing with this diagnosis. You'll hear from other members about their experiences with DCIS, but in the meantime the main Breastcancer.org site has information you may find helpful as you begin this journey. Click here to go to the DCIS section.

The Mods

Linda1966

Hi Mlo69. So sorry you got bad news, but finding BCO and all of its various forums is a step in the right direction for gaining information and support which will hopefully make your journey more comfortable. Its very good news that its grade 1 (slow growing) been found early and is treatable, and its wise to see two Breast Surgeons to ensure you are gaining the best and most current medical advice prior to taking any major decisions.

Some of the decisions you have coming up may be influenced on whether you were born in 1969 which means you are 42 (the same age I was at diagnosis) or if you are 69 or if you have any other pre-existing illnesses or conditions in which case you and your medical team may not wish to put your body through some of the treatments or may alter the strength of some treatments to cater to ongoing quality of life. Also pre and post menopause and whether your cancer is driven by estrogen, pr or Her2 (Id give the full names but as Im not positive for them I havent bothered to memorise their spelling lol) also affects treatment options.

Did the Dr say Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) or Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC)? They are two very different cancers and the treatments after surgery vary considerably. I would imagine, if its 1cm of either DCIS grade 1 or IDC grade 1, a lumpectomy will be recommended. Most of us have found a lumpectomy is not painful and in general people recover quickly and are back to normal activities within a few days. The Breast Surgeon (BS) may want to check your sentinal node as well to ensure no lymph involvement and then possibly radiation and a hormonal suppresent such as Tamoxafin or Arimidex (if DCIS) and depending on the final grading and staging and whether theres lymph involvment if its IDC, chemotherapy may be introduced into the mix as well. Gaining two Breast Surgeons recommendations will hopefully give you a solid block of knowledge for you to make decisions with.

You will find many threads here to join to gain support and friendships through the course of your treatments and afterwards.

Please do let us know further information so we can give you advice based on your full diagnosis. If you are going to have surgery, joining the thread for surgery for that month can be of huge support to you as well.

I hope I have helped. Its difficult giving any advice without having the full facts of your diagnosis but I wanted you to know you are not alone and that we will try to help you if you have any questions or concerns as you gain more information.

mlo69

Okay, now I am COMPLETELY confused.  I spoke with my doctor again and asked him to read from the pathology report, word for word.  He says I have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma in Situ, grade one, <1 cm.  How can that be possible??????

Beesie

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma in Situ doesn't exist - there is no such diagnosis.  As Lynda explained, the diagnosis is either Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) or Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC).  Here's the thing however.  It's possible to have both DCIS and IDC together.  In fact because most IDC develops from DCIS, most women who have IDC also have DCIS.  DCIS is the earlier stage of disease; DCIS is breast cancer that's been caught before it has become invasive. IDC is the progression of the DCIS to become an invasive disease. Because staging and treatment is always based on the more serious of the conditions, the diagnosis of someone who has DCIS and IDC together is considered to be IDC - the DCIS needs to be removed but other than that, it's assumed that any treatment that is given to address the IDC will also take care of the DCIS. 

In your case, since your doctor used the word "invasive", it sounds as though your diagnosis is IDC.  With a small grade 1 tumor, (and assuming that nothing more serious is found during your surgery), you have a very early stage, and very treatable, Stage I breast cancer.  So your doctor is right - focus on the positives.  As for what's next, starting off by seeing two breast surgeons and getting two opinions is a good idea. 

mlo69

Thanks Beesie,

I am trying to not get too depressed about all this....  I did ask him to go over all the mammogram and ultra sound reports to determine if there was anything else seen or noted in the rest of the breast and the other breast.  He said that they only found the contained mass.  This all sounds so scary.