Will DCIS or Invasive come back at some point in life?

gtgirl

This question was asked to me last evening and I did not know how to answer.  I remember a percentage of reoccurrence.  I also heard the term "this will take our life at some point" at a support group this week.

Beesie??

Beesie

"Will DCIS or Invasive come back at some point in life?"

It's impossible to know.  Just as it's impossible to know if you will have a heart attack at some point in the future or develop any other type of cancer or have a car accident the next time you are out on the road.

What you do know is that having had a MX for DCIS, your risk that the cancer will come back is only about 1% - 2%.   

As for the comment from the woman in your support group, if you are attending a support group for women with breast cancer - all types of breast cancer - and if you don't put aside comments made about invasive cancer, I now understand better why you have such a strong fear. You are taking to heart comments that are completely irrelevant to your diagnosis and your situation.  

The only breast cancer patient who can legitimately say "this will take our life at some point" is someone who has Stage IV breast cancer, i.e. someone who has developed a distant metastatic recurrence.  Anyone else who says that is a misinformed idiot.

For you, having had DCIS, if you are in the 98% - 99% of women who have a MX for DCIS and who never get a recurrence, your long term survival rate will be 100%.  Even if you are in the 1% to 2% who has a recurrence, if the recurrence is DCIS, then the survival rate is still 100%.  It's only if you develop an invasive recurrence - and the risk of that is 1% or less - that you even face the possibility of having a terminal disease.  However most women with invasive breast cancer, and the vast majority of women who have early stage invasive cancer, do not die of the disease - they die of something else.  Old age. Another type of cancer.  An accident.  Heart disease.  Heart disease kills 6 times as many women as breast cancer.  

You had DCIS.  That is a 100% survivable diagnosis.

ballet12

Beesie,

Very well put.

AZ85048

As always, Beesie, succinct and to the point.  Thanks! 

Skiergirl

thanks, Beesie, for your wisdom and sensible reply!  I appreciate your calming words.  In fact, when my fear gets the better of me, I will call up your post and read it again, out loud if I have to.  I seem to need that reassurance- no guarantees, I know, but thank you.

I go back to work (teaching) tomorrow after 12 weeks.  Wish me luck! 

Ann

AZ85048

Skiergirl - Good luck tomorrow!  Remember not to overdo it... just because you can doesn't always mean you should!