This article about mastectomy vs lumpectomy is confusing me

TB90

Coffee:  I too have recently been diagnosed with DCIS so finally knowing my dx, I spent a few hours last night researching this topic.  I found all the literature to be very reassuring and realized that our prognosis is excellent.  There are no guarantees that we will not be diagnosed tomorrow with something completely unrelated.  I feel that we are very fortunate to have the numbers that we do in association with our diagnosis.  They don't get much better even for surviving the flu!  Please do a happy dance and feel as fortunate as I do.  To summarize in lay terms what I deciphered from the studies last night, lumpectomies have a slightly higher chance of a recurrence, but not of fatality.  So know you have at least reduced your chances of a recurrence.  Find the positives in what you are reading, as there are many.  All the best to you!   

Lilysdaughter

I am constantly scared too. I was diagnosed with DCIS in my left breast in June an MRI revealed that I had DCIS in my right breast too. I had 2 lumpectomy s but then decided to I have a double mastectomy and they found more DCIS in the tissue they removed . I am not taking tamoxifen. Are there more people that have DCIS in both breasts? 

Ariom

I too, scared myself reading that thread, but Beesie explained the stats somewhere else and put that fear to rest. Thanks again Beesie! I really don't know what these boards would do without your input.

I think it is fair to say, that none of us will ever be quite the same again, after our Dx and subsequent surgery. Once you've felt that fear, things are different, but I kept reminding myself, you can't keep living in a state of fear. I am just one year out and am feeling more comfortable in my own skin, and BC isn't the first thing that comes to mind, as soon as I wake up any more.

redsox

This article:

http://jncimono.oxfordjournals.org/content/2010/41/187.full.pdf+html

has a good discussion starting on p. 190 about surveillance after treatment for DCIS and results of salvage treatment after a recurrence.  The most important message is that surveillance is key because results are still very good if the recurrence was DCIS or IDC with negative nodes.